


He Sings Out a Song Which is Soft but it's Clear

by r_n_g_are_dead



Category: Glee
Genre: Anderberry Siblings, Angst and Feels, Dalton Academy, Developing Relationship, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 07:32:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r_n_g_are_dead/pseuds/r_n_g_are_dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine Anderson Berry has had a crush on Kurt Hummel for years, but never had the guts to act on it. Things get a bit complicated when Blaine finds the other boy as not only a school mate, but his best friend. Things gets worse when another guy vies for Kurt's attention. AU for S2 set during canon S2 (though there is some artistic liberty) and covers episodes 2x6-2x22. </p>
<p>Anderberry siblings. Also Kurt/OC before Klaine can happen. (Warnings for verbal harassment, mention of bullying/harassment, and Pav dies.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Teenage Dream

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: The title comes from a lyric form my favorite James Taylor song ("Sweet Baby James"). I always wanted to take a stab at writing Anderberry siblings, so here we are. (Rachel/the Berrys/their house will come into play in future chapters.) I also always thought S2 Blaine was kind of insincere or mean sometimes, which is how I came up with my OC. *He* says all the things that I thought were out of line for Blaine.
> 
> This is a 12 chapter fic. It takes place from 2x6-2x22, so anything that happened on the show (including trigger-inducing things like homophobic slurs, mentions of violence and the death of a yellow bird) is fair game.
> 
> Questions/comments/concerns/reviews are always welcome :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the James Taylor song from which I borrow lyrics for my fic title.
> 
> This fic was originally posted by the author on FF.net on 1/12/13 under the username "I Need Space - And Fresh Air"

Blaine Anderson had planned on running out of his Advanced Placement American History class as soon as the bell sounded, but his professor kept him an extra minute to congratulate him on his perfect midterm exam score, seeing as he was a sophomore and all the other students were juniors.

"Exemplary work, Anderson. You've made an excellent addition to our fine institution. Keep up it up, son. I expect great things from you."

Anxious to get going but ever the polite young man that his fathers raised him to be, Blaine bowed his head slightly and accepted the compliment. "Thank you, sir." He backed out of the room as gracefully as he could without making it look like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Have a wonderful day, Professor Davis."

With a forced smile, Blaine bolted from the room and headed toward the grand staircase. He didn't want to be late for his first performance as the Dalton Academy Warblers front man.

Dalton was an all-boys boarding school with a zero-tolerance harassment policy. He used to attend public school with his older sister in Lima, Ohio, but after getting beat up at his 8th grade Sadie Hawkins dance for attending with his friend Kyle, his fathers pulled him out of that school district as fast as possible. This was his second year at Dalton, his second year with the Warblers, but his first singing lead. It was unheard of for a sophomore to be designated as the featured soloist of Dalton Academy's famous glee club, but Blaine was the exception to the rule. The children of Leroy and Hiram Berry were stars and Blaine was to follow in his sister's footsteps even if they were attending different schools.

Blaine Anderson was born Blaine Anderson Berry. Upon entering middle school, his fathers allowed him to drop Berry and simply go by Blaine Anderson so that he could have the opportunity to forge his own path to stardom instead of resting on the laurels of his older sister, Rachel. Though the Berry siblings were now at different schools, Blaine still tried to maintain distance from his sister's name. They were both known in the show choir circuit for being topnotch performers, but Rachel was considered selfish and diva-esque. Blaine wanted to be known solely for his talent. It was hard for him to keep his mouth shut when fellow Warblers whispered rumors about the Berry girl at McKinley, but he had to admit that they were right sometimes. Rachel was determined to win, and Blaine was too; he just wanted to do it without pissing anyone else off.

As he flew down the steps of the grand staircase, Blaine heard someone call out from behind him, "Excuse me. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here." Even in his rush, he felt compelled to stop and turn around. That voice sounded so familiar and when he spun on his heel to see its source, Blaine's mouth dropped.

It was Kurt Hummel.

Blaine had a crush on Kurt ever since he could remember, but he was never brave enough to really talk to him. He had very shyly said Hi a few times to Kurt after accidentally running into him in the kitchen or the hallway when Kurt was at the Berry house visiting Rachel. Blaine knew Kurt went to McKinley (he also knew his favorite musical was Wicked and his dream role was Elphaba, among other Kurt Hummel trivia), but was surprised and confused to see him on the staircase at Dalton. Was he new here? Did Kurt transfer schools? He was dying to find out, but too scared to ask.

Not that he could have asked right then anyway. Fellow Warbler, senior Landrick O'Callahan, had stopped at the sound of Kurt's voice too and was now outwardly flirting with the object of Blaine's affection, not five feet away.

Blaine's ears turned bright red as he tried to swallow his jealousy and frustration. Though he needed to get to the commons, somehow his feet refused to move from their spot and he was forced to listen to Landrick joke about how the Warblers were basically rock stars at this school and that he would gladly escort Kurt to their performance.

When Landrick held out his arm for Kurt to take, Blaine wanted to throw up on the spot. However, he somehow managed to get his feet moving and he sprinted to the commons so he could get there before the other two. It was bad enough seeing them flirt right in front of him, he couldn't stomach getting stuck behind them in the hallway.

Blaine burst through the doors of the senior commons to find most of the other Warblers already gathered. A slew of other Dalton students were milling about, trying to find seats for the performance. Blaine still couldn't quite get over how supportive a majority of the Dalton population were of the glee club. Sure, there were guys who thought singing and dancing was stupid, but on a whole, the Warblers were well-liked among their peers - probably because they had a great connection to Dalton's sister-school, Crawford County Day.

Blaine settled himself among the Warblers and was trying to psyche himself up for the performance when the doors swung open and revealed Landrick and Kurt. Though Blaine was too far away to hear the conversation, he saw Kurt's face morph from worried to bashful when Landrick leaned in and whispered something to Kurt and then fixed his lapel that had lodged itself under the strap of Kurt's satchel. Before Blaine could wallow in the fact that Landrick was the one putting Kurt at ease instead of him, the Warblers started harmonizing around him.

As if someone flipped a switch, Blaine quickly transitioned into performance mode. He put on his best show face and began entertaining the crowd as if they were thousands of cheering fans instead of a bunch of prep school boys fist-pumping to Katy Perry.

Blaine might never had gone "all the way" with someone (hell, who was he kidding, he never even kissed anybody), he acted out the lyrics as if they were his own thoughts. He had a knack for performing and making those watching him believe every word he sang. Partway through the song, his eyes locked on Kurt's and there they stayed for the remainder of the number.

Were Blaine not performing, he would have been mortified directing those lyrics at Kurt. What he didn't know, though, was that Kurt had no idea who he was. Like, he knew who Blaine was – he was Rachel's younger brother who seemed painfully shy anytime he encountered him. Kurt knew Blaine was gay, sang in show choir like his sister, and now went to Dalton. But Kurt had never seen Blaine perform, nor had he ever seen him in his Dalton uniform.

School Blaine and Home Blaine were two completely different people.

School Blaine looked sharp in his Dalton Blazer and his tie always hung neatly down the center of his chest. School Blaine's eyes were wide and receptive, soaking in all his lessons and the praise from his teachers and classmates. School Blaine's hair was combed off his face and gelled back to keep it looking perfect all day. School Blaine looked like a Disney prince. Home Blaine, on the other hand, was a bit disheveled. Though his clothes fit fine, they mostly consisted of cuffed jeans, form fitting but uninspired sweaters and the occasional hoodie or sweatpants. Home Blaine wore glasses, didn't shave on the weekends if he didn't have to, and never bothered to style his naturally curly hair so it often fell over his forehead and into his eyes if he hadn't had it cut in awhile. Home Blaine didn't dress to impress because he thought that if he didn't draw attention to himself, people would leave him alone and he wouldn't get beat up again.

Kurt only knew Home Blaine, and even so, he only knew him vaguely.

And because Kurt only knew Home Blaine, he had no idea that this cute and confident boy who seemed to be singing "Teenage Dream" directly at him was actually the painfully shy younger brother of one of his best friends.

The song ended much too soon for Blaine's liking. After watching Kurt smile and applaud, Blaine felt a surge of confidence. Maybe he should go over and say Hi. It's not like they were strangers… and since Kurt seemed so engrossed in his performance, maybe Kurt would actually want to talk to him.

Blaine took a deep breath and tried to work his way through the throngs of Warblers and other Dalton students who were patting him on the back. He grinned and nodded his thanks as he made his way toward Kurt, who seemed to be smiling extra wide at him. But, just as Blaine was nearing Kurt, someone yelled, "Hey Blanderson Berry, lay off the new kid, he's mine!" and stopped him in his tracks.

Landrick.

Landrick was the only person who knew Blaine's real last name (he was in the headmaster's office when Blaine and his fathers were filling out enrollment papers and overheard the conversation between the Berry family when it was decided Blaine would still go by "Blaine Anderson" and not "Blaine Berry"). Somehow, the other Warblers had yet to figure out why Landrick sometimes called their star singer "Berry." Though someone joked that it was because he was as talented as that chick from McKinley, neither Blaine nor Landrick ever let on that he was actually her younger brother. Blaine could never figure out why Landrick never told his secret, but he was too scared to ask.

However, Kurt wasn't in on this information, so he only knew Blaine as Blaine Berry. And after Landrick's remark, Kurt went from embarrassed to stunned as he locked eyes with Blaine (who had since gone from confident to mortified).

"Blaine? Blaine Berry, is that you?"

Blaine's eyebrows would have gone up higher if they could, but they had reached maximum height on his forehead. He felt tears threatening to form from embarrassment and fear, so he did what he did second best to performing; he ran.

After getting beat up in middle school. Blaine's "fight or flight" response was stuck permanently on "flight." His dads encouraged him to take up track because it was something he could do by himself, but still in a team atmosphere. Not only was Blaine a talented performer and strong student, but he helped Dalton reach Nationals in distance sprinting his freshman year. Even though he decided not to compete for Dalton his sophomore year so as to focus on his studies and the Warblers, Blaine still kept up his running in his free time. So, Blaine wasted no time bolting out of the senior commons and across the school to a seemingly hidden bathroom that became his sanctuary when he got overwhelmed. He even got so bold as to hide a bottle of hair gel and a stick of deodorant for when he needed to freshen up after continuously pacing and running his hands through his hair after getting worked up over a misstep in rehearsal or an A- on a test. No one at Dalton knew that Blaine was a completely different person underneath his seemingly perfect facade and he intended to keep it that way. Performing was his forte.

…

The next day at school, Blaine was studying in the student lounge during his study hall because it was the only place on campus where one could get coffee. His head was down, nose practically touching his notebook. His dads always told him he studied too hard, but too hard was the only way he knew how to study. So, he didn't notice right away when two of the members of the Warblers council, in addition to Landrick and Kurt, walked in the room and sat down at a table across the way.

Blaine's concentration was interrupted by the sound of laughter. He looked up to screw his face up in disgust at the offenders but found himself staring at Kurt. His face flushed pink as he watched Kurt's cheeks burn bright red. At first he couldn't figure out why Kurt looked so embarrassed, but then he heard Landrick say, "No. I mean I am, but these two have girlfriends."

Though he pretended to go back to studying Blaine listened in as, David, one of the Warbler Council members started to explain the Kurt that Dalton was not a gay school but that it had a zero-harassment tolerance policy. The other Council member, Wes, finished the thought by stating that everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are.

Blaine knew that wasn't entirely true; Landrick often picked on him for being a teacher's pet or a goody-goody on top of making fun of him and his sister. But, even Blaine had to admit that no one ever bullied him for being gay. And for that, he was eternally grateful.

Kurt didn't look grateful to hear about the zero-tolerance harassment policy; he looked shocked. Blaine dared to continue looking at the older boy and found his heart breaking as he swore he saw a tear travel down Kurt's alabaster cheek.

Wes, David and Landrick were now talking among themselves, allowing Kurt the opportunity to discreetly wipe any evidence of sadness away from his eyes. By the time they turned back to him, he had put on a brave face and pretended like nothing happened.

Kurt went to ask the three Warblers a question but was interrupted by the sound of a bell. They quickly got up from the table and Blaine overheard them making apologies to the outsider, saying they had to get to lunch. Blaine cringed as he watched Landrick walk around the table and lean down to whisper something into Kurt's ear. Kurt broke into a genuine, albeit small, grin and said goodbye as the boys left him alone in the student lounge.

Well, almost alone.

"Blaine?"

Oh crap, Blaine thought to himself as he snapped out of it and realized he had been caught staring at Kurt. He tried to play it off nonchalantly, but his nerves got to best of him. "Oh, hey." His voice cracked a bit before he paused to quickly clear his throat. "Hey, K-Kurt."

Kurt smiled; glad he was right about the quiet kid alone in the corner being his friend's little brother. It was a relief to see a familiar face in such a foreign location. He got up and grabbed his to-go coffee cup before walking over to Blaine's table. He paused next to an open chair next to Blaine. "May I join you?"

Blaine's thick eyebrows shot up as if that were the first time he ever heard that question in his entire life. "Um, yeah, sure. Let me just..." He quickly scrambled to clear his books and notebooks off of part of the table to allow Kurt some empty space for his cup and arms.

Kurt smiled as he sat down, "Thanks." He suddenly realized he had never actually had a conversation with Blaine Berry before. Blaine was still shuffling around papers and flashcards so Kurt had a few moments to observe the other boy. Though he knew this was the same person he saw perform lead on "Teenage Dream" the day before, Kurt couldn't help but be amazed that that was the quiet boy before him and the same silent stranger he saw on weekends at the Berry residence. "I didn't know you went to school here. Rachel never mentioned that."

Blaine tried to keep himself busy with collecting his things so he didn't have to look back at Kurt yet. "Yeah. This is my second year here. I don't think she wants people to know I'm in a rival show choir." He shrugged. "I don't think a lot of people know we're siblings."

Kurt looked confused. "Aren't you guys the only Berrys in this part of Ohio?" Blaine nodded. "So how have people not put two and two together? You're obviously just as talented as her, maybe even more so." Kurt took a sip of coffee and quickly swallowed to blurt out, "Oh my god, please don't tell her I said that!"

Blaine chuckled and ducked his head. He wasn't planning on telling his sister anything. She was so self-centered; Blaine figured she had no idea her he had been crushing on Kurt for years and he hoped to keep it that way. "Don't worry, I won't. I promise." Blaine startled fiddling with the corner of one of his notebooks. "Plus, um, my dads have been letting me use my middle name as my last name since middle school. People tend to leave you alone when they don't know you're Rachel's brother. Or that you're that f-fag with the gay dads." He sounded like he was trying hard not to sound defeated. This was one of the few things at which Blaine would never succeed.

Kurt frowned slightly as he settled back into his chair. He had never heard Blaine say maybe more than two or three words at a time even though he saw him at the Berry household a couple times a month for the past few years. "Blaine, are you at Dalton because you were bullied in public school?"

Though Blaine couldn't bring himself to look Kurt in the eye, he nodded. Kurt saw the boy closing in on himself right before his very eyes and opted not to ask any more questions. He was still surprised he got that much information out of Blaine.

Blaine who was struggling so hard to fight back tears.

"I know how you feel. There is a Neanderthal at the high school who is making my life a living hell. I'm the only one out of the closet at my school and no one seems to care," Kurt confessed. He hoped sharing his own experience could help show Blaine that he's not alone. He wasn't looking for advice; he just wanted to let Blaine know they had something in common.

Blaine nodded again, content with keeping his mouth shut for as long as he can. Who was he to give Kurt any advice? Kurt was older and wiser and so beautiful...

"Blaine?"

The younger boy dared to look at Kurt who offered him a small smile. Somehow that gesture of kindness made Blaine feel a bit braver.

"You have a choice you know," Blaine said quietly.

"A choice?"

"Mmm hmm," Blaine said as he nodded. "I mean, you could always come here, but you could confront him, you know. Your bully." Blaine shrugged to himself. "Prejudice is just ignorance."

"You sound like a fortune cookie, Blaine...?" Kurt realized he didn't know Blaine's middle name.

"Anderson."

Kurt smiled. "Blaine Anderson." He liked the way that sounded. "How did you get so wise?"

"I'm not wise." Blaine shook off the compliment. "I ran, Kurt. I let my bullies chase me away." He kept fiddling with his notebook. "I'm a coward." As he stared down at the table, he felt tears welling up. He shook his head, willing them to go away, but to no avail.

Kurt reached over and stilled the younger boy's hand. "Don't. You're never a coward when you're smart enough to get out."

A solitary tear slid down Blaine's chin as he dared to look Kurt in the eye. He swallowed hard as Kurt offered a half a smile. "I, uh, I have to go." Blaine bolted out of his chair and quickly began shoving his belongings into his satchel. Kurt watched in silence, wondering if he did something wrong.

Blaine ran out of the lounge and took sanctuary in his hidden bathroom. He dropped his satchel and sank down into the corner, both hands tearing at his gel-confined hair. He shook his head, muttering to himself over and over again that he was an idiot.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday morning, Blaine wandered into the kitchen to find his sister making scrambled tofu. He scrunched his nose at the smell as he yanked open the refrigerator and pulled out the container of orange juice. After closing the door, he settled himself onto a bar stool at the kitchen's island and took a swig straight from the carton.

"Blaine! Other people drink from there!" Rachel pointed her spatula at him as if it were an extension of her finger.

He swallowed the gulp of juice that was in his mouth and wiped his free hand across his face, smearing the drops of orange liquid that had dribbled down his chin. "Sorry."

Rachel rolled her eyes and went back to her tofu. "I saw someone from your school at McKinley yesterday. I hope for Kurt's sake he's not in the Warblers or else he's going to get in a lot of trouble for fraternizing with the enemy. You know, technically *you're* the enemy..."

Blaine didn't hear the rest of her sentence because his sister mentioned Kurt and his heart started racing.

Landrick.

That was the only person Blaine could possibly think was at McKinley. With Kurt.

He shuddered at the thought and then realized he probably should have heard his sister out, but it was too late, for she had already moved on to talking about herself. Blaine slid off his barstool and quietly placed the orange juice cartoon back into the fridge. He bolted upstairs, hoping to outrun his thoughts. The bedroom door was already closed behind him by time Rachel realized her brother was gone from the kitchen.

A majority of Blaine's afternoon was spent in his room, hammering out his book report on Ordinary People, taking notes on two chapters from his Latin II book, and finishing the write-up for last week's Chemistry lab. He liked getting all of his homework done on Saturday so he had his whole Sunday free for reading or working on some compositions for college applications. Even thought he still had a couple years of high school to go, he was always planning ahead for his escape from Ohio.

Hours passed. Blaine took small breaks for food and to use the bathroom, but by time he got all his work done, it was almost 11:30 pm. Still in his pajamas from the night before, Blaine took a quick shower and threw on a clean pair of boxers and some OSU sweatpants, not even bothering to put on a shirt. He towel-dried his hair the best he could and slid his glasses back on. Though it was late, he was craving some celebratory carbs for finishing his homework. He decided to venture down to the kitchen for some Pop Tarts.

His dads were out of town for the weekend and he knew Rachel had a friend or two over for a sleepover (of which she threatened him to not interrupt), so he was left to his own devices. Blaine quietly wandered downstairs to the kitchen. He fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on, dragging his feet across the floor toward the pantry.

Blaine grabbed a packet of Strawberry Milkshake Pop Tarts from the back of his comfort food shelf and shut the pantry door. He gasped in surprise when he found himself face-to-face with a pajama-clad Kurt Hummel and promptly dropped the Pop Tarts on the floor.

Kurt leaned over to pick up the packet, then straightened back up and handed the Pop Tarts to a slack-jawed Blaine.

"You dropped these," Kurt said with a small smile.

"Th-thanks." Blaine took the snack, eyes wide in shock. Kurt was the last person he expected to see right then, as he was pretty sure his sister said something earlier about "girls night."

In addition to the semi-awkward silence, Blaine began to shiver. It was only then he realized he was standing silently in front of his crush with no shirt on and probably looking like a hot mess. Instinctively, Blaine crossed his arms over his chest and pulled his hands into his sides; as if there were some way he could completely hide himself. "Um, I should - I should go."

He broke eye contact with the older boy, ducked his head and took a step toward the door when Kurt called out softly in an almost broken voice, "Hey wait. Please?" Blaine stopped in his tracks and dared to look up at Kurt. "Can we talk?"

Blaine exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding in as he nodded, slowly at first, but then somehow more confidently.

Kurt offered half a smile as he followed Blaine into the living room. Blaine set his Pop Tarts down on the coffee table and motioned for Kurt to sit down on the couch. "I'll be right back."

Blaine sprinted upstairs to his room and made a beeline toward his dresser. He yanked open a middle drawer and pulled out a long sleeved t-shirt boasting Dalton's emblem. With one hand, he took off his glasses and with the other; he wormed his way into the shirt. A quick glance in the mirror as he returned his glasses to the bridge of his nose showed his hair was sticking out in every direction. Blaine sighed, knowing there wasn't much he could do this late at night unless he wanted to keep Kurt waiting. So, instead he flew back down the steps, praying he wasn't making enough noise for his sister to come out and scold him.

When he got back to the living room, Blaine found Kurt had wrapped himself up in the blanket that had been folded on the back of the couch. He looked so young and vulnerable that Blaine's heart hurt with unrequited love. Kurt misread Blaine's look as concern and immediately apologized. "Sorry! I should have asked before taking the blanket."

Blaine shook him off as he sat down. "It's fine."

Kurt freed one of his hands from under the blanket and began fiddling with a tassel. "Thank you."

Blaine shifted around in his seat on the couch. He really wanted a Pop Tart, or at least something to occupy his hands. But Kurt had asked him to talk, so he tried to stay focused instead of the nervous wreck he felt like inside.

After a few moments of silence that felt like an eternity to Blaine, Kurt spoke up again. His voice was soft and laced with regret. "I confronted my bully."

Blaine swallowed, somehow knowing something went wrong from Kurt's tone of voice. "Oh?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. After he shoved me into a locker the other day, I - uh - I followed him into the locker room to give him a piece of my mind. I yelled a lot. He yelled a lot."

All Blaine could think to do was nod, so he did. He looked over at Kurt, hoping eye contact was going to be some sort of moral support, but Kurt stared down at his hands.

"And then kissed me."

Blaine's eyes grew wide and he absentmindedly ran his hands through his hair, causing it to stick out even more. He shook his head in disbelief, feeling incredibly guilty because he was the one who suggested Kurt confront his bully. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Kurt. This is all my fault. I can't believe - I'm just - I'm sorry." Blaine stilled when he felt Kurt put a hand on his forearm.

"Hey, stop. It wasn't your fault. Trust me." Kurt now had tears in his eyes, but the certainty in his voice made it clear to Blaine that he should not be blaming himself for anything. Blaine offered Kurt half a smile, but still felt awful.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked sincerely with complete concern.

Kurt nodded as he sighed. "Yes. I think so. It was just a lot to take in, I guess. But Landrick came to McKinley yesterday to try and make sure Dave – the guy that bullied me – would stop."

Something inside of Blaine's chest tightened at the mention of Landrick's name. "Oh. I didn't realize you and Landrick were..." Blaine couldn't even bring himself to finish his own sentence.

Kurt blushed at Blaine's comments and shook his head. "We aren't, I mean, we're not... I mean, we only just met. But that's what I really wanted to talk to you about. Um, Landrick."

Blaine looked down at his hands and then his unopened Pop Tarts. He cursed his late-night craving and wished he had just gone to bed after his shower. "What about him?" Blaine directed his question at the coffee table.

"Um..." Blaine could hear and feel Kurt fidgeting on the couch next to him but could not bring himself to look him in the eye. "He gave me his number after I watched you guys perform the other day. And then he skipped school and drove all the way to Lima to have help me with a 30 second confrontation with my bully. And, I dunno... He seems like a really nice guy. I was hoping you could tell me a little more about him? I mean, since you go to school with him and all. He seems sweet..."

Though he was only 16, Blaine was pretty sure he was having a heart attack. That was the only explanation for the sudden amount of pain that was shooting through his chest at the moment. Was he dying? Was this how he was supposed to go? Broken hearted and having never kissed anyone?

"Blaine?"

No. He was still alive. His heart was just shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. (Being overly dramatic ran in his family... He just internalized it while if his sister was in this situation, she would loudly proclaim her utter discontent.)

Blaine swallowed again to stall and collect his thoughts. He could tell Kurt what he really felt about Landrick. How Landrick picked on him daily for his hairstyle and how he's a goody-goody because he gets good grades and gets all the Warbler solos even though he's just a sophomore. He could tell Kurt that he, Blaine Anderson Berry, has feelings for him and has had said feelings since middle school. And that he, Blaine Anderson Berry, would love and respect Kurt for as long as they both shall live.

But when Blaine finally glanced up to look at Kurt, he saw how hopeful the other boy looked and he knew what he had to say.

"Landrick is… a good guy, Kurt." Blaine briefly closed his eyes and cursed his cowardice. He had an opening to be honest with Kurt and he blew it. So, for Kurt's sake, he kept going. "He's a senior. He's smart and sings really well. He'd be lucky to be with someone like you."

Kurt blushed hard at the compliment. "We're not together. Not yet anyway. But he did ask me to see Rent with him next week... I think it's a date." He was beaming; tickled pink that someone had asked him out.

"Oh. Well that's - that's great, Kurt." Blaine plastered a smile onto his face as best he could. He felt tears prickling his eye and was too embarrassed that he was going to break down in front of his crush. Blaine quickly grabbed his Pop Tarts and bolted up off the couch. "Um, it's getting late. We should go to bed. I mean I should go to bed. My bed. Right. Um. Have fun on your, your date." He tried to get away from the couch, but his legs bumped into the coffee table. Sharp pain shot through his knee as it collided with the table's corner. "Ow. Uh, goodnight." Blaine nearly tripped as he ran through the doorway and up the staircase. Kurt was left on the couch, confused and alone.

Blaine was smart enough to not slam the door shut after he burst into his room. He threw his Pop Tarts on his bed and grabbed a pillow, smothering his face as he muttered phrases of self-loathing. After a few minutes of belittling himself and his lack of balls for not telling Kurt the truth about Landrick and his own feelings, Blaine settled down and finally opened up his snack. They were no longer celebratory Pop Tarts, but a means to eat his feelings.

…

Blaine stayed in his room the rest of the weekend and made it his mission during the week to avoid Landrick at all costs. The only blocks in Blaine's schedule that overlapped with Landrick's were lunch and Warblers practice. Since Blaine almost always ate lunch by himself in the student lounge, he didn't have to worry about seeing or hearing Landrick. Warblers rehearsal was not quite as easy to get away from the older boy. Blaine often got stuck standing next to Landrick, though during the few moments of down time, Blaine fled to the piano in the corner, quietly going over whatever solo he had that week.

It was Thursday when Blaine finally overheard Landrick talking about Kurt. He didn't mention Kurt by name, but Blaine knew.

"Yeah, so last night I took this guy to see Rent at the Playhouse," Landrick told a few fellow Warblers who seemed to worship the ground he walked on.

A brown haired boy on the shorter side nudged Landrick in the ribs and wiggled his eyebrows. "Round any bases?"

Blaine held his breath, dreading the answer.

Landrick shook his head, "Nope. At the end of the night, I tried to kiss him and he got all panicky. Like I was assaulting him with my face or something. Whatever."

Blaine exhaled and made it look like he was busy shuffling through a stack of sheet music. He wouldn't have been able to tell you what music was in front of him if you paid him; his mind was racing with this new information. Clearly Kurt hadn't told Landrick that his bully kissed him or else Landrick wouldn't have said what he said. Right? But Landrick went to McKinley last week to help Kurt confront his bully. Blaine was confused ... Kurt told *him* about the kiss.

What did it mean? Did it mean anything?

…

Blaine didn't see Kurt until the following weekend because Kurt was busy with wedding plans. The day after Blaine overheard Landrick talking about his date with Kurt, Kurt's dad (Burt Hummel) proposed to Finn's mom (Carole Hudson). Finn was his sister's boyfriend, and the Berrys were family friends of both the Hudsons and the Hummels, so wedding plans and excitement were in the air the whole week leading up to the Hudmel union.

On the morning of the wedding, Blaine kept his distance from his sister who was running about the house yelling every so often if anyone had seen her shoes or knew where the hairspray was. She and the New Directions were performing at the wedding so she had to get ready and leave before Blaine and their dads. Blaine was thankful to be going to the wedding. He liked Mr. Hummel a lot and was grateful for a legitimate excuse to not attend a Warblers video game tournament that was taking place at the same time as the wedding.

That afternoon, the Berry men sat and watched their dear friends get married. The ceremony was beautiful and heartfelt. Blaine's cheeks were red as he looked on, for he was unable to take his eyes off of Kurt (who stood proudly, albeit tearfully, next to his father the entire time).

The reception was equally beautiful. Blaine knew from his sister's constant jabbering that Kurt was responsible for every detail of the wedding and reception hall. The flowers were gorgeous and everything was fabulous yet still understated at the same time.

When he got to the table where he was to be seated with his dads and other families of the glee club kids, Blaine saw all the handwritten place cards, each done in beautiful calligraphy. When he thought no one was looking, Blaine traced his fingers reverently along the scripted "B," secretly thrilled knowing Kurt spent part of his precious time writing his name.

Once it was announced that Mr. and Mrs. Burt Hummel were entering the room, people started cheering and music started playing. Everyone watched with joy as the newlyweds danced to "Sway," as sung by Mr. Schuester, the instructor of the New Directions.

Later after the toasts, Blaine watched shyly as Finn dedicated Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are" to Kurt and the new stepbrothers danced with each other. Though Blaine thought it was odd for Finn to keep all the female pronouns in the song, he still thought it was a sweet gesture on a whole. As he watched all the kids from New Directions dance with each other, Blaine felt tiny pangs of jealously coursing through his body. They all looked like they were having fun and he longed to join in, but was not brave enough to ask any of his sister's friends to dance.

A few minutes later, Blaine was sitting alone at his table, hunched over his phone. The Warblers video game tournament was in full swing and his friends Jeff and Nick were texting him updates. Apparently Landrick was getting his ass handed to him in Call of Duty; this made Blaine smile.

In the middle of texting back a reply to Nick, someone put his hand on Blaine's shoulder, causing him to jerk upright and drop his phone on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said as he reached down to pick up Blaine's phone for him. "I didn't mean to scare you." He held out the phone to Blaine, who took it and clicked it off before sliding it back into his pants pocket.

Blaine's heart was racing, partially from the scare, but mostly because Kurt was standing in his personal space dressed in a tux and looking amazing. "It's okay. I wasn't paying attention."

Kurt smiled and then looked around the room, surveying the dancing couples out on the floor. "You want to dance?"

"Huh?" Blaine was pretty sure he did not hear that right.

Kurt turned back toward Blaine and held out a hand to him. "Do you, Blaine Anderson Berry, want to dance?"

Blaine wanted to jump for joy, but settled on nodding, then reaching up and shakily taking Kurt's proffered hand.

The older boy must have noticed Blaine's nervousness because he chuckled as they made their way to a somewhat secluded area of the floor. Blaine's cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "Sorry. I haven't danced since…" his voice trailed off as Kurt put one hand on his waist and hoisted the other in the air.

Against his better judgment, Blaine took a deep breath as he gently rested his hand on Kurt's shoulder. They began moving, awkwardly at first but then less so, to the rhythm of the music. A boy with a Mohawk he recognized from temple and a pretty Latina girl danced past them and the boy whistled and remarked, "Get it, Hummelberry!"

Blaine's heart felt like it was going to explode as Kurt gripped his waist a little tighter. "Shut it, Noah." Kurt turned his attention back to Blaine. "Sorry about him. He's unevolved." They danced silently for a little longer before Kurt spoke up again. "Before, you said you 'haven't danced since,' but then you kind of didn't finish your sentence. Haven't danced since what?"

"Oh, um," Blaine closed his eyes and thought quickly how to answer without making himself sound like a victim, even though that's exactly what he was. "Since middle school. There was a Sadie Hawkins dance… and I haven't danced since... then." Blaine was too scared to tell Kurt he hadn't danced since then because after the dance, three guys beat the living crap out of him and his friend Kyle.

Kurt frowned, guessing there was more to the story, but not wanting to press further seeing as he already seemed to upset Blaine with his question.

The song ended and a slower one started up. Before Blaine could pull away, Kurt slid his hand from Blaine's waist and settled it in the middle of his lower back. "Is this okay?" Kurt waited until Blaine nodded before pulling him a little closer and they began swaying again.

Although Blaine was thrilled to be dancing with Kurt, his mind kept drifting to Landrick and how he wasn't there. Blaine didn't want to ruin the moment and bring him up, but he had to know. He had to know why Landrick was playing video games with the Warblers and why Kurt didn't tell him about being kissed by his bully. Blaine had to know why he was the one in Kurt's arms at the moment and why he was the one Kurt confided in. "Kurt?"

"Mmm?" The taller boy had closed his eyes and nestled his cheek into Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine chickened out. "The wedding and reception were beautiful."

Though Kurt's face was facing away from Blaine's, the younger boy could feel Kurt's cheek move from smiling wide. "They were, weren't they?"

Blaine let out a sigh. Though he was still wondering about Kurt and Landrick's relationship status, he had to be content with how the day turned out in his favor. Blaine closed his eyes as they swayed to the music and whispered so low that no one could hear him, "You're beautiful."


	3. Hey Soul Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee (especially the plot points and dialogue I borrowed throughout the fic...)

On the first Monday after the wedding, Blaine came home from school and found his sister pacing around their living room, talking to herself.

"This isn't fair! This was my year to go to Nationals. Stupid Karofsky!"

Blaine toed off his school shoes before dropping his satchel onto the couch. "Rach! What are you doing?"

Rachel whipped her head around to glare at her brother. "YOU!" She pointed at Blaine in anger. "You don't even KNOW how lucky you are!"

Eyebrows furrowed as Blaine shucked off his blazer and loosened his tie. "What are you talking about?"

She paced some more. "Kurt's transferring schools tomorrow and now my chances to go to Nationals are RUINED because there's no way we're going to win Sectionals without him."

"Wait, Kurt is transferring schools? Why?" Not that he and Kurt talked a lot at the wedding over the weekend, but he thought that if Kurt told him about the bullying situation, he maybe would have mentioned something about leaving McKinley.

Rachel shook her head, "I don't know all the details. But the point is; we are going to lose at Sectionals without him. This isn't fair!"

Blaine bolted up the steps and to his room. Kurt had friended him on Facebook a few weeks ago and he wanted to check if there was any indication of why Kurt was transferring.

After firing up his laptop, Blaine logged on to Facebook but saw no evidence as to why Kurt was leaving or where he was going. Just as he was about to log off and try to get some more information out of his sister, Blaine received a chat message from Kurt.

Kurt:  
Blaine?

Blaine:  
Are you okay? I just got home and Rachel kept going on and on about you leaving and her not going to Nationals because of it. What happened?

(Because the conversation was not happening face to face, Blaine was able to be bolder, give longer answers, and ask questions he might be too scared of otherwise.)

Kurt:  
I'm okay now, I guess. Super long story short, last week my bully threatened to kill me and he got expelled. But his parents fought the school board and he'll be back at school tomorrow. Which means I won't be.

Blaine:  
KURT!

Blaine:  
I'm so sorry

Kurt:  
Thanks. Listen, I've got to go, but can we talk more tomorrow during study hall?

Blaine:  
Um, sure.

Blaine:  
Wait. Study hall?

Kurt:  
Yeah. I'm transferring to Dalton.

…

Time passed achingly slow for Blaine the next morning, so much so that he practically ran to the student lounge once it was finally time for his study hall. Even though he was a sophomore, Blaine was in accelerated Junior's classes however his and Kurt's schedules hadn't overlapped in the morning because they took different languages (Blaine took Latin, Kurt took French) and sciences (Blaine was in Chemistry, Kurt took Physics).

Blaine slowed himself to a halt and took a few breaths before walking into the lounge. If his face wasn't already red from running, it would have turned that color anyway when he saw Kurt sitting at a table drinking coffee out of a to-go cup. Though the Dalton uniform was far from flattering, Kurt somehow made it look good. He took a step into the room and was about to say Hi to Kurt when he heard him.

"Hey Blanderson, shouldn't you be clapping erasers or something?"

Kurt looked up at Landrick's remark and smiled warmly at Blaine, who in turn was biting his own cheek to keep all his frustration in. Landrick was over at the coffee counter, stirring his drink and looking smug.

"Hi Landrick. Nice to see you too." Blaine wanted coffee, but he refused to go near Landrick. Instead, he walked over and sat down at Kurt's table.

Landrick watched Blaine's every move and he himself walked over toward Kurt. "I have to get to class. Senior stuff, you know. So I'll bid you both adieu." When he neared the table, he leaned in and whispered in Kurt's ear. "Call me later."

Blaine noticed how Kurt flinched slightly as his personal space was being breeched, but felt queasy at the smile that spread across Kurt's face at the same time. Landrick would never hurt or threaten Kurt the way that Kurt's bully did, but Blaine didn't like how Landrick treated Kurt all the same.

Kurt waved as Landrick left the room and then focused all his attention on Blaine. "Thanks for meeting with me. I'm sorry if I'm keeping you from anything."

With a shake of his head, Blaine stood up and walked over to the coffee counter now that it was Landrick-free. "You wanted to talk?"

"I know I just got here today, but I was wondering if you could help me get an audition with the Warblers? It's probably too late to join before Sectionals, but I really like singing and I thought if I joined up I'd be able to make some friends and –"

"Kurt." Though Blaine found Kurt's rambling utterly adorable, he had a feeling if he didn't cut in soon, the other boy would just keep talking in circles.

Blue eyes dropped toward the table while he sat down as Kurt's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry. I'm just really nervous being at a new school."

"Understandable."

There were a few moments of awkward silence while both boys sipped their coffee.

Kurt broke the silence first. "So, about the Warblers…"

"Oh, right." Blaine cursed himself for forgetting Kurt's initial question. "Well, you've already met a couple members of the council, so they'll know who you are, though they might think you're back to spy. Can you come to rehearsal tonight? It'll be easier for me to ask about auditions if you're there to answer any specific questions they have."

While swallowing some more coffee, Kurt nodded his head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

More awkward silence.

"Blaine, can I ask you a personal question?"

His ears began to burn with the endless possibilities of personal questions Kurt could ask. However, he nodded and agreed quietly, "Uh huh."

"We've known each other for awhile, right?" Blaine nodded, wondering where this was going. "So how come I don't know much about you?"

Well, that was not the question Blaine was expecting. His first reaction was to shrug even though he knew why Kurt didn't know much about him… because he didn't think he was worth knowing much about.

"Blaine!"

Blaine's eyes widened as he realized he must have said what he was thinking out loud.

Kurt could tell the younger boy was mortified and didn't want to embarrass him further. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try and get to know this familiar stranger better; Kurt felt bad for not trying to learn more about Blaine sooner. Though he was already friends with Rachel, Kurt didn't think it would be wrong if he tried to befriend her brother, especially now that they would likely be in glee club together.

While pushing his chair back from the table, Kurt looked at Blaine and saw his cheeks were an unhealthy shade of pink. "Well, I'm gonna head off and find my next class, but I'll see you at Warblers practice later." Blaine watched out of his peripherals as Kurt threw away his coffee cup. He stilled as Kurt paused in the doorway. "And for the record, you are completely worth knowing about."

If Blaine weren't frozen to his chair, he would have sprinted down the hall to his bathroom sanctuary.

…

Kurt had nothing to worry about at Warblers practice after school. Upon mentioning he was a countertenor, Wes dropped his gavel on the table and David jumped up and threw his arm around the stunned new recruit. After double and triple checking that no audition was necessary (an unprecedented occurrence in Warbler history), Kurt assured his new glee club he would return during the assigned Warbler rehearsal period.

…

The Warblers council requested that Kurt make an entrance at rehearsal the next day, so Blaine was selected to open the double doors of the practice room to reveal their newest member. Kurt smiled, mostly at the applause but partially because a familiar blushing face welcomed him to the room. Blaine ducked his head as he smiled, pleased to see Kurt and tickled to find the older boy wearing a Hippo head brooch.

As Kurt walked into the room, Blaine scurried back to his seat on the arm of the couch. Right away, Wes announced the traditional new Warbler gift – an actual Warbler. Landrick grabbed the handle of the birdcage that was sitting on the coffee table and strutted up to a slightly confused Kurt. Wes informed him that this was Pavarotti. "Protect him. That bird is your voice."

"Hey, I'll bring him to work with me. Weekends I work at a stray cat rescue. It's at the bottom of a coal mine." Blaine cracked a smile and had to muffle a chuckle. Kurt just looked around the room and was thrown because no one seemed to get his humor. "That was a joke. I don't – I don't work at a coal mine."

Blaine watched Kurt's face fall when his suggestion to perform Duran Duran's "Rio" at Sectionals was shot down without a second thought by the Warblers Council. His own face fell when Landrick saddled up to Kurt after the meeting and walked him out the door, leaning in and whispering all the while. Though Blaine felt selfish for being a little relieved that Landrick's presence was not cheering Kurt up, he felt even worse that Kurt's first official day as a Warbler was met with him not melding very well with the overall vibe of the group.

As the rest of the Warblers filed out of the room, talking amongst themselves, Blaine made his way up to the Council's table. He stood in silence, arguing with himself what he was doing when he heard Wes ask, "Was there something on your mind, Junior Member Blaine Anderson?"

At the sound of his name, Blaine startled and looked up at Wes and the other members of the Council. They only know School Blaine, so any reticence he was showing was a direct reaction to Kurt being around. He couldn't let Kurt being at Dalton affect how the other members of the group perceived him. So, he cleared his throat and assumed a serious face. "Actually yes. Council, I'll be brief. I know that you're still auditioning for soloists to be featured in our second song at Sectionals next week. I think it would be a show of good faith if you allowed our newest member the opportunity to audition."

Wes, David and Thad all made eye contact with each other and after several brief moments of silent conversation and the tiniest head nods from David and Thad, Wes nodded. "It's in agreement. Warbler Kurt Hummel may audition for a Sectionals solo in two days' time. He will be notified by the end of the day."

Blaine held up a hand to interrupt the Head Warbler. "With all due respect, if it is in agreement with the Council, I will inform Kurt of this news myself."

Another quick glance among each other found all three members of the Warblers Council nodding. If Blaine weren't so busy feeling elated and nervous about having to speak with Kurt today, he might have caught a subtle glint of knowing in the eyes of his peers.

Blaine shouldered his satchel as he exited the practice room. He thought Kurt and Landrick were already long gone by now and was surprised to see them talking atop the grand staircase. Torn between not wanting to impose on their discussion and wanting desperately to burst in between them to tell Kurt the good news, Blaine stalled right where he stood, fiddling with his pocket watch and wishing he was as brave as his fellow Warblers seemed to think he was.

Out of his peripherals, he saw Landrick make a motion with his hands like he had to go. Blaine watched as Kurt gave him a small but defeated smile as he turned to make his way down the steps.

Knowing this was his chance to talk to Kurt – alone no less – Blaine scurried toward the top of the staircase and called out to the older boy. "Hey Kurt, wait up!" He caught up to Kurt and they walked down the stairs together. "I saw that glee club was hard for you today… seeing your idea shot down like that."

Kurt shrugged. "It's just a different energy in there. Not better or worse, just something I'll have to get used to."

Blaine could tell that Kurt was still mildly unhappy with how the meeting went. He was too embarrassed to admit that giving Kurt a chance to audition was his idea, so he pulled up some faux confidence and replied matter-of-factly, "We recognize that and we have a tradition at this school of rewarding a student with a good attitude, so we'd like to invite you to audition for a solo."

Stunned and stunning. If Blaine were to forced to pick two words to describe how Kurt looked after receiving this news, he would definitely pick "stunned" and "stunning." He stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to face Kurt, smiling because you couldn't pay him not too when he saw how his news made the other boy react. A sparkle had returned to Kurt's eyes as they widened with glee. "For Sectionals?"

Blaine smiled and gave him a small nod in agreement. "For Sectionals. Sing something good." His cheeks flushed pink as that last sentence slipped out because anything Kurt would sing would be good.

…

The next night, Blaine was in his bathroom brushing his teeth before bed when he overheard his sister on the phone. Normally he would just roll his eyes, but when he heard her say, "You're going to do amazing, Kurt" his hand stopped brushing and his body involuntarily leaned out of the doorway into the hall, straining to hear more of what she was saying. Toothpaste mixed with spit dribbled out of the corner of Blaine's mouth and onto his Buckeyes t-shirt as he smiled, listening to his sister unselfishly (for once) giving her friend a pep talk. He couldn't wait for Kurt's audition the next day and wondered what the boy would be singing.

…

Three Warblers, including Kurt, were singing their audition songs the following day. Because he was new, the Warblers Council offered Kurt the option of whether he wanted to sing first, second or third. Because his nerves were starting to get the best of him, Kurt decided to go first. He entered the practice room to find the Warblers were all waiting quietly. You could have heard a pin drop, the room was so silent.

Although the Warblers sang a cappella, people who were auditioning could perform to a pre-recorded track or accompany themselves on the piano. Kurt collected himself as best he could as he set his iPod dock on the piano and pressed play.

Based off of the opening strings, Blaine knew in a heartbeat it was "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." His sister sang this song around the house all the time and he could distinctly remember several of Rachel and Kurt's sleepovers when he could hear them singing along to the DVD of Evita as they cried into their popcorn.

Blaine might have heard Kurt sing before, but he never heard him sing like this. Like this was the last song he was ever going to sing. Like his life depended on it. Like the words were his own.

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes as they followed him about the room. Blaine was so moved by the performance, the way that Kurt just left everything he had out on the floor. He was also getting emotional because he knew that Kurt was not going to get the solo. He silently kicked himself for not telling Kurt that he shouldn't sing show tunes because they mostly sang Top 40. The Warblers were showy in a non-showy way and Kurt was showy in the loudest way possible… and maybe that was part of the reason why Blaine liked him so much.

So, when Blaine noticed Kurt's arms start to rise in signature Evita-style, Blaine somehow quickly managed to catch his eye and motion with his own hands that Kurt shouldn't bring his arms to the full football-post position. The Warblers weren't ready for the Kurt Hummel Blaine knew was hiding beneath that Dalton blazer.

As the song came to a close and Kurt let his last note die out, Blaine smiled and nodded to himself while he and the rest of the Warblers applauded politely.

Kurt collected his iPod dock and slunk down in the only open seat in the room, which happened to be next to Landrick. Blaine felt jealous when he saw Landrick lean into Kurt's personal space and whisper something to make Kurt smile. However, Kurt's smile seemed forced through tight lips and he flinched when Landrick put a hand on his knee. Blaine hoped it was because Kurt didn't like Landrick like that, but part of him was pretty sure it was just because he was so high strung after his audition and Blaine didn't think Kurt was one of those touchy-feely people in the first place, especially after being bullied so much. Blaine could sympathize. He didn't like it when people touched him either… though that didn't stop him from wishing Kurt would hold his hand.

Blaine zoned out during Nick and Jeff's auditions, but managed to clap after each song just because everyone else was doing it. Once everyone sang, Kurt, Nick and Jeff were asked to sit outside the room while the Warbler Council voted on who would advance to the next round.

While waiting, Kurt asked the other two how many times they had auditioned. This was Nick's third tryout and Jeff's sixth. Kurt let out a low whistle and had a feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to get the solo even though he know he performed to the best of his ability.

All the boys were startled when the doors burst open and Blaine and Landrick walked through.

Blaine gave Kurt an apologetic smile as he announced, "Hey guys. Nick, Jeff, congrats. You're moving on." They were ecstatic as they leapt up and shook Blaine's hand. He congratulated them once again and then walked over to where Kurt (and now Landrick as well) was sitting.

Kurt looked up at Blaine. "Any sage advice?"

Landrick answered instead. "Don't try so hard next time."

Blaine's eyes widened at Landrick's comment, but Kurt just closed in on himself a bit. "I didn't realize that caring was frowned upon."

Landrick went on to say, "I don't know how it worked at your old school, but did you notice that we all wear uniforms around here? It's about being part of the team."

Kurt rocked back and forth where he sat. "I guess I'm just used to having to scream to get noticed."

"You're not going to make it as a Warbler if all you care about is getting noticed," Landrick remarked.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Kurt sounded so defeated and it broke Blaine's heart. He cut in before Landrick could say something else stupid.

"I know it's going to take some getting used to," Blaine started, "but you'll fit in soon enough." He locked eyes with Kurt. "I promise."

Blaine's kind words were enough to coax a small smile out of Kurt.

Just then, Landrick's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and eyeballed the source of the text. Blaine was surprised to see him look at Kurt with sincere apology after he just got done saying all those douchy things to him. "It's my mom. I need to call her, but I'll be right back and then we can go to lunch, okay?"

Kurt nodded in understanding and he and Blaine watched Landrick walk out of the room.

Knowing he likely had a couple minutes before Landrick came back, Blaine wanted to take advantage of his alone time with Kurt while he still mostly felt like School Blaine. "May I sit down?" Kurt looked up as Blaine motioned to the now-empty seat next to him. He nodded again, a mostly blank expression on his face. Blaine couldn't quite tell if Kurt was upset about not advancing through to the next audition or what, so he asked, "Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded again as he collected his thoughts. "I'm not mad about the audition, if that's what you think. I mean, I'm new and those other guys auditioned a bunch of times. It was just nice to be able to try out, but…" his sentence drifted off as he looked away from Blaine and out the window behind them. "I guess I just didn't realize that I can't be myself here either."

Those words sliced through Blaine's heart like a knife and he felt for Kurt. "Hey, hey. Don't say that." Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed Kurt's hand with his own to get his attention and offer some empathy. At the moment of contact, Blaine felt a bolt of electricity shoot up his arm. Kurt's head whipped back around and then quickly down at their hands before snapping his eyes up to meet Blaine's.

Blue eyes that swirled like the sky in Van Gogh's Starry Night connected with hazel eyes that looked like a nebula of greens, browns and grays. And for a half a second that seemed to last a lifetime, time stopped.

"I -," Kurt started in surprised.

Blaine yanked his hand off of Kurt's without breaking eye contact, though his eyebrows shot up on their own accord. "Sorry! I – sorry! I was just… I didn't mean… I – just, sorry!" Though he was still in a Dalton blazer, School Blaine was gone and Home Blaine was present and mortified.

Their attention shifted from each other to the door as it opened. Landrick was still on the phone, but obviously trying not to be. "I'll take care of it later mom, I promise…. Uh huh… yes, I - … I have to go. I love you too. Bye." He hit the "end call" bar on his phone's interface and slid it back into his pocket before addressing Kurt and Blaine. "Sorry about that."

Blaine bolted up from where he was seated and made a beeline toward the door while Kurt shifted his attention back out the window, pretending to admire the view of Dalton's front lawn.

"See ya later, Blanderson," Landrick remarked as Blaine brushed past him to get out the door. This snarky comment made Blaine roll his eyes, but also stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed Landrick by the elbow and pulled him out the door with him. "Hey, watch it Blaine!"

"No, you watch it, Landrick." Blaine was pissed about a lot of things, mostly how Kurt was sad about what Landrick said to him earlier and how Blaine just completely ruined his own moment with Kurt. "You need to apologize to Kurt, okay? You can't just say what you said and not expect his feelings to get hurt." He dropped Landrick's arm, straightened his tie and then stormed off, muttering to himself. "I thought you liked him, Jesus…"

Landrick watched in confusion as Blaine purposefully made his way down the hallway. He rubbed his elbow as he walked back in the room. When he noticed Kurt didn't turn around to look at him, Landrick realized that maybe Blaine was right. He thought back to what he said, and although he felt it to be the truth, he guessed he could kind of see how what he said could be interpreted as not nice. Regardless, he just had to say he was sorry, right? And then everything would be great between him and Kurt.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, for what I said," Landrick started. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Kurt finally peeled his eyes away from the window and shifted slightly so that he was looking at Landrick. Landrick could see a hint of sadness in Kurt's eyes and they were glassy as if he had been crying or was about to cry. "Don't cry, Kurt Hummel." Landrick raised a hand to Kurt's cheek and brushed a finger under his eye, pretending to wipe away a tear. "You're too cute to look so sad." A bell sounded, indicating classes were about to start in five minutes. "Crap," Landrick moaned as he got up. "I have to get to English class. I'll see you later, though, right?"

Kurt nodded. He had study hall and was going to head to the student lounge for coffee and hopefully to talk to Blaine. Landrick gave him one last smile before he ran back out of the room.

The study lounge was empty when Kurt arrived a few minutes later. He poured himself a cup and then sank down into a chair at the table where Blaine usually sat. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't mad about the audition; he knew he wasn't likely to get a solo during his first week in this new glee club. He was a little confused, though. He wondered why he didn't flinch when Landrick touched his cheek. He wondered why his fingers still felt like they were tingling after their brief moment of contact with Blaine's hand earlier. He wondered where Blaine was.

Blaine was sitting in the corner of his hidden bathroom, running his hands through his hair, which by this point was sticking out in every direction. He wondered why he grabbed Kurt's hand. He wondered what would have happened if Landrick didn't barge in on them like that. He wondered if Landrick apologized to Kurt. He wondered what Kurt saw in Landrick. He wondered if Kurt would ever see something in him. He wondered why he couldn't force himself not to care.

…

Saturday morning found the Warblers en route to Marion, Ohio where Sectionals were being held. Blaine was disheartened to see Kurt and Landrick sharing the back seat, so he opted to sit alone toward the front of the bus. Ear buds firmly in place, Blaine tried to drown out his thoughts with some Roxy Music.

A few hours later, the Warblers were in the Green Room waiting to take their places on stage. However, their newest member was missing. "Where is Warbler Kurt?" Wes demanded after taking roll call.

"Oh, he went to go talk to that Berry chick from New Directions. Do you want me to try and find him?" asked Landrick.

Before Wes could say yes, Blaine spoke up. "I know where he is, sir. I'll go."

"Thank you, Warbler Blaine."

And with a nod, Blaine was out of the room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Blaine quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted his sister. "Hey – where R U?"

He glanced up from his phone and started looking around, seeing if he could spot his sister and Kurt before she responded. When he was unable to spot them, he was grateful for her text back. "Candy Counter. Why?"

Blaine didn't bother texting her back and instead ran as fast as he could toward the concession stand near the entrance of the venue. He slowed to a walk and caught his breath as he approached his sister and Kurt.

As nonchalantly as he could, Blaine walked up to Kurt and touched his elbow gently. "They're calling places." He then made eye contact with his sister. "Hey."

She let out a sigh and squinted her eyes at him, trying to intimidate him. "I hope you know what an unfair advantage it is that you guys have Kurt in your glee club."

Blaine smiled as he turned and walked away next to Kurt. "I love you too, sis."

…

Blaine felt most alive when he was performing. Something about singing and dancing was fulfilling in a way that he could barely describe. It made him happy, but it also seemed to make other people happy too… if only he could figure out a way to bottle that feeling and feel like that all day long.

Like the other two glee clubs singing that day, the Warblers performed two songs. They started with the song that featured Blaine, Train's "Hey Soul Sister." He couldn't help but smile when the song started. It wasn't his favorite song, but he thought some of the lyrics were really meaningful… and allowed him to look directly at Kurt as he sang "and so I went and let you blow my mind."

Other lyrics were just plain silly, but he opted to go for broke when he was forced to sing lines like "So gangster, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of, you see."

But he poured his heart into the performance as he sang, "I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be. I want the world to see you be with me." He stole a quick look at Kurt as he sang and hoped that no one saw his break in choreography. He knew he was supposed to be performing for the audience and judges and not stealing looks at Kurt, but he physically couldn't help it; the older boy was magnetic.

Blaine broke choreography several more times before the song was over and he swore Kurt looked over at him at least once. Those small shared glances encouraged Blaine to perform full-out that much more.

When the song was over, Blaine was surprised, but pleased, to see his sister was the first person to jump to her feet and applaud. He saw her looking at Kurt throughout the whole performance and was grateful to see her offering him support even though they were no longer in the same glee club.

The Warbler's second song featured Nick with his first ever solo. They sang Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" and it went over really well with the audience. The blazer-clad boys bowed in unison and then ran off the stage, clapping each other on the back and congratulating themselves for a good performance.

After allowing themselves a few moments to celebrate, the Warblers were quickly ushered into their assigned seats to watch the New Directions perform. Blaine felt a bit smug when they were forced to find seats quickly and Kurt and Landrick got separated and Blaine ended up with an aisle seat next to Kurt.

It was weird for Blaine to watch New Directions perform without his sister as lead and with Kurt sitting next to him instead of being up on stage with the rest of his friends. Blaine was surprised at the talent of the rest of the kids and really enjoyed all the dancing in the second song. He remembered admiring Mike Chang's dance moves back in middle school and used to practice said dance moves behind closed doors. But after what happened to him in middle school, Blaine didn't dance much anymore. Not even in his room.

…

The Berry residence was in full celebration-mode that night because both the Warblers and New Directions made it through to Regionals. Rachel was initially miffed at the tie, but was grateful she would likely get a chance to have a solo during the next round of competition. Blaine knew he would have a solo at the next competition, but didn't say anything because he didn't want to start a fight with his sister. So, he kept his mouth shut and smiled away while their dads praised their obscenely talented children.

…

On Monday, the Warblers allowed themselves five minutes at the start of rehearsal to finish congratulating themselves on advancing to Regionals before they launched into ideas for their next competition.

The Council kept deferring to Blaine any time a song was mentioned, as he would get first pick of his solo. While he was grateful for being selected as lead vocalist of the group as a sophomore, he hated when all the attention was on him. After being asked his opinion of at least 10 songs, Blaine told the Council he would keep a list of suggestions and go over it and get back to them. He reminded them that Regionals wasn't until the following Spring, so perhaps they should focus on the holiday songs they needed to prepare for the following week's Christmas performance at the Westerville assisted living facility.

Wes, David and Thad immediately shifted rehearsal to holiday song suggestions and Blaine was grateful to get the attention off himself. He spent the remainder of rehearsal doodling in his notebook and saying, "Yeah, that sounds good," whenever asked his opinion about a song. He snuck glances at Kurt every now and again. Kurt was sitting across the room with Landrick, but looked off for some reason. As much as Blaine hoped it was because of Landrick, he could tell there was a deeper lying problem than that.

Kurt ran from the room as soon as rehearsal was over, which confused Blaine. He, on the other hand, dawdled while putting his notebook into his satchel. He checked his pocket watch out of habit. He knew it was lunch period and was contemplating whether he actually wanted to go to lunch (it was pizza day) or go to the student lounge for coffee and solitude. His decision was made for him when his phone buzzed from his pants pocket.

Blaine yanked his phone out and saw the text was from Kurt. They had only just exchanged phone numbers during Sectionals. It was Kurt's idea because he wanted a way to contact Blaine with Dalton related questions without having to go through Rachel or Facebook first.

Blaine rushed into the room and found Kurt hunched over on the couch, leaning toward Pavarotti's cage, which was sitting in the middle of a chessboard. "Hey, I got your text. What's wrong?" Kurt looked up and Blaine could see panic in his eyes.

"It's Pavarotti. I think he's sick. He won't eat and he's losing his feathers…" Kurt was on the verge of tears, fearful that he was killing the pet he just received last week. He knew he'd be kicked out of the Warblers for sure if something were to happen to that bird.

Without completely thinking about his actions, Blaine sat down on the couch next to Kurt and involuntarily mimicked his body language. After quickly inspecting the bird, Blaine knew everything was going to be okay. "He's just molting. His body has to shut down while he grows a new coat of feathers." Blaine watched as Kurt sighed with relief. He remembered how Wes told the other boy last week how the bird was his voice. Though this was a gross misuse of hyperbole from the head of the Warblers Council, Blaine knew that the bird might not really be Kurt's voice, but that Kurt and this bird had more in common that one might think.

Kurt's body had been shutting down well before he transferred to Dalton. People who didn't know him very well probably didn't notice, but Blaine could. For years, he admired the older boy's joie de vivre, but lately more and more, the sparkle behind Kurt's eyes was gone or dim at best. Blaine knew being bullied had a lot to do with it, but Dalton did too. This school would protect Kurt, but it also seemed to smother him. The Dalton dress code prohibited the boys from expressing individuality in lieu of branding them as a cohesive unit that looked professional and well-mannered.

So, like Pavarotti, Kurt's body was shutting down while it literally adjusted to its new coat. Landrick's harsh words from last week about being part of a team were grounded in truth, but that didn't make them any less hard to hear. Blaine knew Kurt would adjust, but he also knew it was going to take a little time. He had been in the same position himself just last year. And while Blaine's sense of style nowhere near rivaled Kurt's, even he took awhile to adjust to the formality of it all. Once he realized it was just easier to gel his hair into submission and assume an overly confident façade, Blaine began to fit right it. He hated that he had to act a part every day he was at school and secretly hoped Kurt would be able to find a way to fit in without losing his personality.

"He'll be singing again in no time," Blaine said as he blinked his eyes before locking them on Kurt's. The older boy offered him a grateful smile that made Blaine's heart race.

"Thanks. Landrick said you'd know what was wrong with him."

Blaine's heart stopped racing and instead felt like it was drowning at the bottom of a lake. "Landrick?"

Kurt nodded, looking back at the bird. "He said since you were the one taking care of Pavarotti for the past year, you'd probably know if he was sick or not."

"Oh," Blaine rocked back and forth where he sat, "right. Yeah. That makes sense." Blaine sighed as he got up from the couch. "Well, if you need anything else, just let me know. See you at practice later."

Blaine was halfway out the door when he heard Kurt call his name. "Blaine?" He stopped and ducked his head back into the study lounge. Kurt gave him a genuinely grateful smile. "Thank you. For everything." Blaine pursed his lips together and nodded in a non-verbal you're welcome.


	4. Baby It's Cold Outside

Ever since Blaine told Landrick to apologize to Kurt, he noticed the two of them were chummier than ever. They always sat by each other during Warblers practice; smiling and whispering, whispering and smiling. Even though it broke Blaine's heart to see the two of them like that, he was glad to see Kurt happy again, even if he weren't the reason for it.

Because Kurt and Landrick seemed more together than not, Blaine found that he was able to be himself around Kurt more and more, even outside of school. He couldn't quite explain it, but he guess he figured that he had nothing to lose anymore since Kurt was already off-limits.

Now during the week and on the weekends when Kurt was over at the Berry household, half his time was spent catching up with Rachel (who had been dumped by Finn after Sectionals and needed constant consoling), and the other half was spent with Blaine working on homework and talking about Warblers stuff. Landrick was smart, but Blaine was a more patient tutor when it came to helping Kurt adjust to the heavy workload at Dalton. It also helped Kurt relax more because he could vent to Blaine about people at McKinley and Dalton. Kurt had yet to introduce Landrick to any of his friends from his previous high school, so he couldn't empathize when Kurt had stories to tell about his old cheerleading coach, or the other members of the Glee club.

A few weeks before winter break started, Blaine heard back from King's Island regarding a holiday show he and his sister auditioned for. Rachel didn't get cast (which briefly made her furious, though she then appeased herself by saying that her talent was too good for a theme park), but Blaine did. He was selected out of hundreds of young men to sing "Baby It's Cold Outside" with that year's Miss Ohio winner, Shania Worthington. The guy over the phone who gave him the news was trying to make it sound like Blaine would get to "duet" with Miss Ohio in more ways than one, but Blaine kept his cool and accepted the gig with sincere gratitude. He definitely could use the extra money (he was saving up for college), and the experience would look really good on his resume.

Even though Rachel said she was over the fact that her little brother got hired and she did not, Blaine vowed to himself only to practice at school in his free time so as not to further upset his sister. So, on the last day of school before break, Blaine went to the Warblers practice room instead of the study lounge during his study hall. Though he desperately was in need of some coffee, the practice room had a piano and was vacant.

Usually.

Blaine sat down at the piano and messed around with the keys as he did a quick vocal warm-up. He then tapped out the opening bars of "Baby It's Cold Outside." Even though he didn't have the opening lines, he thought he could just think them in his head before launching into his part. But, for some reason, as he was thinking "I really can't stay," a high-pitched, crystal clear voice rang out in those same words from across the room. Blaine was bewildered and looked up as he started to sing, "But baby it's cold outside." His eyebrows shot up as he found himself looking at Kurt, who was seated at a corner table, nestled in among holiday decorations and history books.

The music stopped as Blaine's fingers froze on the keys. He thought he made sure he was the only person in the room and he felt bad for likely interrupting Kurt's studying. "Oh, hey. I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was in here."

Kurt smiled at Blaine's awkward adorableness. "Whatcha doing, Blaine Anderson?"

Blaine's cheeks flushed at Kurt's teasing tone, which was anything but malicious. "Practicing."

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion over Blaine's answer. "Practicing? For what?" Kurt slammed his history book shut, then stood up and made his way over to the piano. He sat down next to Blaine on the piano bench, thighs touching because he didn't even bother waiting for Blaine to scoot over. Delicate hands automatically reached for the sheet music Blaine had propped up on the piano. "I love this song! What are you singing it for?"

Blaine shifted a little so he could address Kurt's face as he spoke. "I got a gig singing in the King's Island Christmas Spectacular."

"Wait – didn't Rachel audition for that too?" Blaine nodded as he started dabbling softly with the piano keys. "So because she hasn't been gushing about this, can I assume that she didn't get a part?" Blaine nodded again as he continued with his impromptu jazz. "You're really good at that, you know.

A small smile crept across Blaine's face at the compliment. "Thanks."

"So, can I sing with you?"

The impromptu jazz stopped. "What?" Blaine looked over at Kurt in confusion.

"Can I sing with you? I mean, this is obviously a duet and you are just one person, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine blushed at the sound of Kurt speaking his name. "Why do you insist on calling me by two names like that?"

"Because I like the way it makes your ears turn red," he stated matter-of-factly. Blaine bit the inside of his cheek as he ducked his head in embarrassment. "So can we sing? I don't feel like reading about Charlemagne anymore and this is one of my favorite Christmas songs… plus, it's not like anyone else would ever let us sing this together because we're two… artists."

Blaine nodded, understanding the subtext of why two guys probably wouldn't be allowed to sing this song together, at least in a public forum. He also was trying to stall. This was a super flirty song and he wasn't sure how this was going to go. If he let Kurt set the tone, then he should be okay. Right?

"Okay. Let's do this."

Kurt beamed and clapped his hands together, causing Blaine to break out into a wide grin. He played the intro once again and assumed a faux-serious face. Kurt followed suit and sang the opening line, "I really can't stay."

"But baby it's cold outside."

"I've got to go away –"

"But baby it's cold outside"

And so they sang, and with each line, Kurt got flirtier and Blaine matched him. Nudge for nudge, smile for smile, they sang to each other as if putting up a real fight, though no one objected to the line "Mind if I move in closer?." By time Blaine got to the line "Gosh your lips look delicious," his heart was pounding in his chest and he felt an achingly familiar twitch in his pants.

As they neared the end of the song and harmonized on the last "Baby it's cold outside," the note hung in the air as Blaine finished the last of the notes on the piano. Both boys were breathing heavily as if they had just finished running a race. Their eyes were locked on each other's and their legs were still touching. It was the single most intimate moment of either of their young lives and they each felt like their hearts were going to explode.

Blaine's eyes couldn't help but flick down to Kurt's lips. He might have been able to be more of himself around Kurt lately, but that didn't mean that his crush had gone away. And now it appeared, at least to Blaine, that Kurt was maybe feeling the same way too. Kurt's pupils were dilated and he was breathing just as heavy as Blaine, if not more so.

Feeling brave, Blaine looked Kurt in the eye, then back down at his lips, then once again locked eyes with the older boy. He began to lean in, chest pounding with anticipation, especially when he saw Kurt start to lean in too.

And that's when the clapping started.

"Bravo, you guys. That was really something. You two are really talented, let me tell you…"

Blaine's entire face and both his ears burned from overstimulation of feelings for Kurt and utter hatred of Landrick O'Callahan in that very moment. He dared to look up at Kurt, whose cheeks were only mildly pink.

"Hey, Landrick. And thanks, I thought we sounded amazing." Kurt squeezed Blaine's knee with his left hand before swinging his legs to the right and standing up from the piano bench. He looked down at Blaine who was now scrambling to collect his sheet music so he could disappear from existence as fast as humanly possible. "You're duet partner does not know how lucky she is."

"Thanks," Blaine mumbled mostly to himself as he stood up from the piano bench and thrust the stack of sheet music in front of his pants before he bolted out the door.

Landrick chuckled as Blaine raced out. "Happy Holidays, Blanderson Berry," he called after the boy who was probably too far down the hall to hear him anyway.

Kurt swatted Landrick on the arm. "Stop that! He's nice."

…

That night, Blaine was in his bathroom, brushing his teeth before bed. He was officially on winter break and was super grateful at the prospect of not having to see Landrick for two whole weeks. He knew Kurt would probably talk about him during their conversations and while that wasn't entirely ideal, it was better than having to be in the same room as the senior.

"Oh my god, Kurt! What happened?"

Rachel was on the phone and she was loud. Blaine heard the name "Kurt," though and he was immediately intrigued. He hadn't seen Kurt again that afternoon after he ran out post-duet. After their near-kiss, Blaine was too embarrassed to be around Kurt if Landrick was present because he knew he'd be teased.

After quickly rinsing his mouth out and wiping any residual toothpaste off his face, Blaine crept out of his bathroom and tiptoed down the hall until he was standing outside of his sister's room.

"You did what?! Tell me everything in as much detail as you possibly can."

As much as Blaine tried to strain to hear what Kurt was saying on the other end of the phone, Blaine could only hear a muffled voice and his sister squeal every now and again.

"Shut up! He did not! Kurt, that is the single most romantic thing ever. It's like you were in a movie or something!"

Blaine's eyes widened and his heart pounded.

"Oh my god, I LOVE THAT SONG!"

Single most romantic thing ever? Song? A crooked grin sprouted across Blaine's face as he found himself falling against the wall, needing something to hold him up because his legs were about to give out.

"KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL, DID YOU TWO MAKE OUT?!"

Blaine let out a contented sigh. No, they hadn't kissed, but he could tell they were so going to.

"OH MY GOD, KURT! YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

The smile may have been temporarily stuck on Blaine's face, but his eyebrows scrunched up in epic confusion. They hadn't kissed.

"Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuurt! Now I really need to meet this Landrick guy if you two are boyfriends!"

Blaine's legs gave out and he sank down to the floor outside his sister's room. Landrick? But, Blaine was the one who sang with Kurt. Blaine's the one Kurt almost kissed. But… Landrick?

Lightheaded and queasy, one hand flew up into his hair while the other gripped his stomach in agony. Blaine tore at his curls, as he shook his head in disbelief. He knew Kurt and Landrick had been real buddy-buddy the last few weeks, but after that afternoon's epic moment in the practice room, Blaine had allowed himself to hope that maybe – just maybe – Kurt finally felt the same way too. You don't just flirt like that with someone you don't like… right?

Before he could hear the end of his sister's phone conversation, Blaine crawled his way into his room and shut the door quickly. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes, failing to prevent tears from rolling down his cheeks.

It all just felt like too much to handle at the moment. Blaine knew he was just tired and worked up from the day, but he couldn't help but wonder how everything escalated so quickly between Kurt and Landrick when it seemed that Kurt was just as willing to kiss him as he was ready to kiss Kurt.

And then there was the fact that Rachel was so excited for his kiss with Landrick to be his first kiss. Blaine knew this was a lie because he knew Kurt's first kiss was taken from him by his bully. Kurt obviously hadn't told Rachel about it… he wondered if Landrick was still in the dark about it too. But Blaine knew. And knowing he knew when other people Kurt considered to be his best friend and his boyfriend (ugh, boyfriend) just didn't make any sense.

Blaine drew back his blankets and crawled into bed. He hugged his pillow tight as he mind raced with unanswered questions about the boy he liked and his newfound relationship status. Sleep did not come easy that night for Blaine Anderson Berry.

…

After an incredibly restless night, Blaine felt like shit on Saturday morning. What a way to start your first day of winter break. Blaine and Rachel's dads were out of town for the weekend, and Blaine knew his sister would likely invite Kurt to spend the night so they could gossip about Kurt making out with Landrick. Blaine wondered if he could spend the night at a friend's house, but his closest friend was Kurt, so that obviously wasn't happening. He just wanted to be left alone for awhile.

Blaine grabbed his phone and texted his sister even though he knew she was in the next room over. "Threw up last night – don't know if I'm contagious or anything. Am going to stay in my room all day. Please leave me be so I can rest. Thanks." Through his wall he heard his sister yell "Gross!" and then he promptly received a text from her stating "Do not get me sick. I'll make you soup later just don't touch anything else in the kitchen. Feel better. See you tomorrow."

Off the hook for the whole day, Blaine plugged his headphones into his keyboard so he could play around without bothering his sister or ruining his cover. He had been working on some compositions for various music camps. Already planning ahead for college, Blaine was building a repertoire of original songs and scores that he could use for admission requirements. As much as he loved to perform, writing music was his first passion and he used it as a way to sort through what he was feeling. Sometimes he couldn't put his emotions in words, but he definitely knew how to express them in song.

Blaine kept headphones on for as much as the day as possible. If he wasn't playing the keyboard, he was listening to his iPod, or watching a movie on his laptop. He snuck down to the kitchen during the middle of the day to get lunch. As promised, his sister left a container of soup on the counter for him wish a giant note saying "Don't touch anything but this soup container and the microwave. I will do your dishes for you." He laughed at the note and then to spite his sister, ran his hands all over the refrigerator and cabinets. He got himself some Pop Tarts and shoved them in his pants pocket before he grabbed his soup and went back up to his room.

Though he didn't hear exactly what time Kurt came over, he knew he was in the next room that night while he slept. Blaine kept his headphones on as he went to bed. He thought they could protect him from squeals through the walls or additional heartbreak over hearing Kurt say the words out loud.

…

By time Blaine left his room the next morning, Kurt was gone. Blaine texted his sister before he went downstairs to assure her he was feeling 100% better and no longer was a hazard to anyone's health. He blamed non-existent food poisoning for his ailments and told Rachel that her soup must have nursed him back to health.

He went down to the kitchen and saw his sister sitting at a barstool reading Patti LuPone's biography and eating oatmeal. "Have you read this?"

Blaine gave her a "bitch please" look as he opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice carton. "Yeah. Twice."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me, Blaine Warbler. You really shouldn't be drinking out of the carton like that, you know. And you look like shit."

"So?" Blaine shrugged as he wiped his hand across his face to catch the drips that were inevitably rolling down his chin. The back of his hand scraped across two-days growth of stubble. It was winter break and he had no reason to look even remotely presentable. Add on the fact that Blaine hadn't gotten a haircut in awhile, one could say he was starting to look like a rugged mountain man.

If eye rolling were an Olympic sport, Rachel would have earned herself a gold medal that morning. "Don't forget, the dads wanted you to get a new sweater for the holiday party we have to go to tomorrow night."

"Oh crap," Blaine muttered. Even though it was a yearly thing, Blaine somehow forgot that he and his sister had to accompany their dads to one of Hiram's colleague's parties. Though he hadn't gone through a huge growth spurt, all of Blaine's holiday party-appropriate sweaters were too short on him and looked ridiculous.

"They left you some money," Rachel said as she pointed to the countertop area next to the toaster. "I'm wearing blue, so don't get something that clashes." Blaine gave her a mock salute as he took another swig of orange juice. "Ugh, you're gross."

…

That afternoon found a bearded and bespectacled Blaine at the North Hills Mall on a quest for a sweater and something to keep his mind off of Kurt and Landrick. It was hard to be around clothes and not think of Kurt, but somehow Blaine was doing all right. Like, he was still thinking about Kurt, but he was rationalizing the whole situation out in his head and was coming to terms with the fact that Kurt is his own person and if being with Landrick made him happy, then Blaine was going to support that (or at the very least, not completely detest that) because Blaine just wanted Kurt to be happy. At least, that's what Blaine was going to keep telling himself.

He had this epiphany in the Gap while browsing through a rack of sweaters, so Blaine almost didn't hear someone ask him a question. "I'm sorry, what?" Blaine asked as he turned around to find himself almost awkwardly close to a much taller boy – well, man. "Oh… um, hi."

"Hi," Jeremiah Stevens adjusted his ear piece as he cracked a smile and repeated his previous question, "I said, 'Are you shopping for a special occasion?'"

"Oh… yeah. Holiday party." Blaine blushed as his eyes found the floor. From the brief glance he got, Blaine knew the other boy was attractive. His strawberry-blonde hair fell in shaggy waves past his ears and his nose and chin were angular like a model's. He knew the other boy must work here because he saw a nametag out of the corner of his eye, but wouldn't be able to make out a name unless he manned-up and looked at the other boy instead of the ground.

"Well, this is just my humble opinion, but I think cranberry or forest green would look amazing with your skin tone," the stranger stated matter-of-factly with a sizeable hint of flirting.

Though Blaine felt the shells of his ears burning from embarrassment, he somehow managed to look up and look the other boy in the eye. Hazel eyes locked on brown and though Blaine's stomach didn't swoop in the same way when he looked at Kurt, he was beyond flattered in the moment and it gave him an extra surge of courage. "Thanks. I'll definitely consider that." His eyes flicked down and saw the nametag read "Jeremiah."

Jeremiah caught the customer eyeing his nametag and broke out into a smile. "Well, I'm Jeremiah, if you need any help or anything." Suddenly, some white noise broke out over Jeremiah's earpiece. He winced and fiddled with a knob on a battery pack on his hip, then shot an apologetic look at Blaine. "I gotta get back to work, but it was nice talking with you…?"

"Blaine," Blaine blurted out quickly.

"Blaine," Jeremiah repeated, liking the way it sounded rolling off his tongue. "Well, see ya later, Blaine."

Blaine watched with wide eyes as the other boy walked away. He was still looking when Jeremiah turned around to glance back at Blaine. Caught staring, Blaine's face flushed as Jeremiah gave him a small wave of acknowledgement.

The two boys met again at the cash register where Jeremiah rung up Blaine's purchase of a forest green v-neck sweater and a cranberry button-up cardigan. They exchanged knowing smiles as Jeremiah bagged the garments. He ripped the receipt from the register asked if Blaine wanted it with him or in the bag.

"Um, I'll take it," Blaine said as he reached for the receipt.

Before Jeremiah let go of the slip of paper, he leaned in toward Blaine and said, "I get off work in an hour, if you want to grab some coffee or something."

Blaine's eyebrows raised in shock over the rims of his glasses. He had never been asked out before, but his instincts told him to say yes. "Um, yeah… sure."

Jeremiah smiled. "Great! Meet you at Starbucks at 4?" He let go of the receipt as Blaine nodded in agreement.

…

By 4:07, Jeremiah and Blaine were seated at a corner table with their coffees in hand. There was some awkward silence as they both took slow sips of their drinks. Blaine just flat-out didn't know what to say and Jeremiah was trying to figure out what line he could use on the other boy. In the end, he just decided that a simple compliment was probably the best route.

"You're really cute, you know?" Jeremiah smiled as he watched Blaine almost choke on his coffee.

After somehow managing to swallow his drink, Blaine grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Um," he coughed on his words, "thanks."

They spent about an hour in the Starbucks and Jeremiah did most of the talking. This was fine with Blaine, as it gave him a chance to just listen to Jeremiah's stories and watch the other boy watch him. Blaine had never felt so self-conscious about himself. Jeremiah complimented his eyes and hair more than a handful of times and said that if Blaine took his glasses off, he could probably model.

Embarrassed, Blaine adjusted his glasses and said he normally wore contacts but couldn't be bothered with putting them in if he didn't have a reason to. Each time he nervously ran a hand through his hair, Jeremiah complimented his bed-head-esque curls. Blaine's cheeks reddened as he bit his tongue, not wanting to let himself slip that his hair just happened to look like that that day because he neglected to do anything with it before he left for the mall.

It turned out Jeremiah was a model, or at least wanted to be. After high school, he opted not to go to college and focused all of his time and energy on becoming famous. He had some experience posing for some clothing ads that came out in the Sunday paper, but was still looking to make it big. His job at the Gap was supposed to be only temporary while he submitted his headshots to different agents and managers in New York and Los Angeles. So far, Jeremiah had been working for the Gap at the North Hills Mall for two years and had just been promoted to Junior Manager.

If Blaine were thinking more clearly, he wouldn't have been so impressed with Jeremiah's job status. However, not used to having someone pay him so much attention was clouding his better judgment. So, Blaine ate up all of Jeremiah's stories and compliments and found himself swooning a bit over the obviously older boy.

They parted an hour later, phone numbers exchanged with promises of texts over the holidays, and a standing agreement to get coffee again after the New Year because Jeremiah was going to be far too busy at the Gap for the next couple weeks.

Blaine drove home with a smile on his face. Though he wasn't planning on telling anyone about his coffee date just yet, he was already plotting what he would wear on his next trip to the Gap. Surely his sister could use a Gap gift card for Hanukkah…


	5. Bills, Bills, Bills

The holidays flew by in the Berry household. Various Hanukkah and Christmas parties were thrown or attended. Blaine was forced to accompany his sister as she insisted on singing at each event. He himself was busy with his King's Island gig. Miss Ohio was a horrible duet partner and her talent was obviously looking pretty as opposed to singing because she could barely stay on pitch. No one seemed to notice, though, as the evening gown she wore accentuated her sizable breasts and firm abdominal region. The duet was a lost cause and though it pained Blaine to admit it, this gig was going to be more about the paycheck than the performing experience.

Blaine spent New Year's Eve at a Warblers party hosted at Wes's house. Kurt and Landrick were noticeably absent, having opted to go to the New Directions New Year's Eve get-together at the Berry household. Blaine tried to get his mind off of what Kurt and Landrick's lips would be doing come midnight by texting Jeremiah throughout the night. Jeremiah was stuck at work, as the Gap was having some sort of New Year's Eve special and all hands had to be on deck.

As the hours passed, Blaine got tipsier and tipsier along with his fellow Warblers. They played beer pong and flip cup right up until the stroke of midnight. As his blood-alcohol level rose, so did the amount of flirting and misspellings that went into Blaine's texts. Their texting conversation started with "Hey – hope all is well at work" and ended with Blaine sending "Yurr smyl is brigter thwan the siun. Anmd I luke urr fac" at 12:04am before he passed out on the couch in between Nick and Jeff.

Royally hung-over is not even a strong enough phrase to describe how crappy Blaine felt when he awoke on New Year's Day. Head pounding, Blaine stumbled to the guest bathroom, promptly fell to his knees and threw up into the toilet. After flushing, he mumbled to himself, "I am never drinking again" before he grabbed onto the sink's edge and hoisted himself up to assess the damage.

"Oh god."

It could have been worse. Both of his eyebrows were completely intact, and he triple checked to make sure no patches of hair were missing, but there were definitely drawings all over his face. Not knowing where his glasses were, Blaine leaned as close to the mirror as he could and saw that there was a penis drawn on his cheek, surrounded by a bunch of music notes and smiley faces. For as talented as the Warblers were at singing, they certainly were unimaginative when it came to drunken artwork.

After unsuccessfully trying to wash the offending marker off his face, Blaine realized he should have used hand sanitizer first. He searched in the cabinets, found a bottle of Purell, and then spent a good few minutes trying to get as much of the Sharpie off his face as possible. Mid-cleanse, Blaine's phone buzzed in his pocket. He fumbled for his phone and found he had a string of missed texts. A few were from Jeremiah, one was from Kurt and the most recent one was from his sister. She rarely texted him, so he opened that one first and saw that it was a request that he pick up some paper towels and something for them for dinner that night. He rolled his eyes at her text and scrolled through the other ones. Judging from Jeremiah's extremely flirty texts, Blaine's eyebrows shot up and he made a mental note to check his sent messages. His eyebrows stayed up as he read the lone text from Kurt "Happy New Year, Blaine. I miss you." It was sent at 12:01am.

Wes only lived a few blocks away from the Berrys, so Blaine ran some quick errands and headed home that morning before the other Warblers were even up. It was nearing 10:30am by time Blaine walked through his front door. He did pick up paper towels, a bottle of aspirin and a frozen vegan pizza for him and his sister to have for dinner that night because their dads were out of town having their own New Years celebration. It was amazing how much Hiram and Leroy trusted their kids to not burn down the house while they were gone. Surely they must have known that at least one of their kids was having a party on New Years Eve. Blaine warned his sister before he left the night before that she and her friends better clean up after themselves because he wasn't going to be blamed if anything got broken when he wasn't even spending the night at his own house.

As Blaine was shutting the freezer once the pizza was secure inside, he looked around to see if there were any horrible messes. The first floor seemed disaster-free, so Blaine surmised that his sister made everyone stay in the basement during her party. A quick peak down the steps proved Blaine was right; the downstairs was a mess of Red Solo cups, displaced cushions, and about a dozen unidentifiable kids sleeping on the floor and couches.

Blaine quietly retreated back up the stairs and grabbed a packet of Pop Tarts off his pantry shelf before making his way upstairs to his bedroom.

Once in his room, Blaine flicked on the light, dropped the Pop Tarts on his desk and made a beeline toward his dresser. He yanked open a middle drawer and then immediately shucked off the long-sleeve t-shirt he was wearing. While fumbling with his belt buckle, Blaine was surprised when he heard a low moan coming from his bed.

Whipping his head around toward the source of the noise, he saw a lump under his blankets stirring. Grabbing a track trophy off of his dresser top, Blaine tiptoed his way over to the side of his bed. Shaking, he held up the trophy with one hand as he flung off the duvet with his other.

Blaine and Kurt yelled "Augh!" at the same time – Blaine because he wasn't expecting to see anyone in his bed, let alone Kurt, and Kurt because he was a bit hung-over and his eyes were not used to the sudden light.

Lowering the trophy, Blaine questioned his friend, "What the hell are you doing here, Kurt?"

Kurt reached blindly for the duvet, but the blanket was still grasped firmly in Blaine's hand. "Ugh. Too bright."

Blaine wouldn't give the other boy his blanket until he got an answer. "Kurt."

The firmness in Blaine's voice got to Kurt and he sat up slowly in the bed. "I – We – There was a lot of drinking. And then everyone fell asleep on each other, but I didn't want to. Landrick. So then, like, yeah. I'm here." Kurt was shrugging, but Blaine honestly had no idea what the other boy was getting at. At the mention of Landrick, however, Blaine's face screwed up in anger.

"Please tell me you did not have sex in my bed last night."

That woke Kurt up. "What? Blaine. No!" Kurt's cheeks burned bright red as he shook his head, not understanding why Blaine didn't understand what he was just saying before. "We all were drinking, and people started falling asleep on each other, and I'm not ready to sleep next to Landrick let alone sleep with him, so I snuck up here because I knew it'd be quiet." Blaine let go of the duvet, dropped his trophy on the floor and sank down to sit on his bed next to Kurt's legs. "I shouldn't have slept in your room without you knowing. I'm sorry."

Blaine sighed. He wasn't completely happy that Kurt slept in his bed, but he was relieved that it was just he and not he and Landrick. Plus, Kurt looked kind of adorable with his floppy hair and Hummel Tires & Lube t-shirt. "No, it's fine. I mean, it's not fine, but… I'm not mad or anything." It was Kurt's turn to sigh. Blaine dropped his head, realized he didn't have a shirt on again in front of Kurt and just chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all. He got up off the bed, grabbed his track trophy off the floor and walked back over to his dresser. After replacing his trophy in its rightful spot, Blaine grabbed a clean shirt out of his open drawer and tugged it on over his head. Kurt watched as Blaine took out a pair of sweatpants and started heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Blaine held up the pants. "This is your room, Blaine. You shouldn't have to leave to finish getting dressed. I promise I won't look." Blaine raised his eyebrows at this then laughed out loud when Kurt threw the duvet over his head. "See. Not looking. Change fast, cuz I want to talk to you."

"You're talking to me now," Blaine commented as he quickly shimmied off his jeans. He almost fell over as he hopped on one foot to yank his pant leg off.

"Shut up. You know what I mean. And thank you for not judging me on my sleepwear. I know I look extra horrible right now," Kurt retorted from under the blanket.

Blaine pulled on his sweatpants and tied the drawstring so they slung low on his hips. He could have told Kurt it was safe to take the blanket off his head, but Blaine was too amused by the silliness of the situation. He walked over to the opposite side of the bed that Kurt was on and he sat down on the bed. Leaning over toward Kurt, he reached out with one hand and grabbed the duvet, slowly lowering it to reveal his friend. "Hi."

Kurt smiled. "Hi," he whispered back, eyes locked on Blaine's. "Can we talk? Please?" Blaine knew what Kurt wanted to talk about without him having to say anything because it was the same topics he deemed taboo over the past few weeks. Regardless how much Blaine knew he didn't want to hear it, he nodded.

Without speaking, the two boys settled themselves with their backs against the headboard. Even though it was Blaine's bed, Kurt was the only one under the covers, and yet somehow it didn't feel awkward even though conversation was likely going to end up as such.

"Can I be honest with you?" Kurt asked as he glanced over at Blaine. Nervous, Blaine swallowed before he nodded slowly. "I feel like you've been ignoring me since…" Kurt knew he had to say it, even though he didn't want to. "Since we sang that song together and almost…" The word kissed didn't need to be said out loud for Blaine to know exactly what he meant. "And then I started going out with Landrick…" Blaine's jaw clenched at the mention of his name, "and I needed to talk to you about it, but I didn't know how. But, I meant what I texted you last night. I miss you, Blaine."

None of this was really new information for Blaine, but he still needed a minute to process what Kurt said. Kurt was right; Blaine had been ignoring him. And now Kurt was waiting for Blaine to say something… he just didn't know what. "Kurt." He closed his eyes for a second while he took deep breaths in and out. "You're right. I-I have been ignoring you. I was upset and instead of talking with you about it, I ran. I'm sorry I ran, but you didn't chase me… so I just stayed away. But I… I miss you too."

Kurt knew Blaine often got down on himself for running from his problems instead of confronting them, but he also knew that he was to blame. Kurt didn't make much of an effort to talk to Blaine over the past few weeks because he didn't know what he was supposed to say. Yes, Blaine had almost kissed him, but he was fully ready to kiss him back. But then there was Landrick, who had been actively pursuing Kurt for weeks… and Kurt liked Landrick and the attention he gave him. And when Landrick serenaded him with "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and danced with him until they were standing under some mistletoe, Kurt couldn't help but say Yes when Landrick officially asked him out. It was all so romantic and new, and at the time it felt really right. And while Kurt really liked Landrick and spending time with him and kissing him, he felt like something – or rather someone – was missing from his life. And that someone was Blaine. But because Kurt was confused with his feelings regarding Blaine, he didn't know how to tell Blaine about Landrick. So, Kurt let Blaine be, even though he missed him dearly. Besides the occasional Facebook status update, Kurt had no idea how Blaine's winter break was. He didn't even know how the King's Island gig turned out. He felt like a bad friend.

Kurt gave Blaine a sad smile. "I know we'll probably still have to talk some things out eventually, but for now, can we please be friends again?"

Blaine's face dropped because even though they hadn't spoken in a couple weeks, Blaine never considered Kurt anything less than one of his closest friends. "Kurt." The name slid off his tongue with such care and reverence.

Against his better judgment, Blaine put his left hand on the duvet in between his and Kurt's bodies with his palm facing up. Eyeing the proffered hand, Kurt slowly reached down and rest his right palm on top of Blaine's. Both boys twined their fingers together, not quite knowing if he or the other one initiated it. Sighing contentedly, both boys slunk back against the headboard and just sat there for a few moments, glad to be reconnected.

As comfortable and natural as this felt, Blaine couldn't help but let his mind drift to the fact that Kurt was holding his hand but was dating Landrick. If he and Kurt were going to stop ignoring each other, he figured he owed it to his friend to be honest and for Kurt to be honest in return.

"Kurt, can I ask you something?" Blaine looked over and saw Kurt nod. "Why does my sister think that Landrick was your first kiss?" He instantly felt Kurt's hand go slack in his and knew he had overstepped his boundaries. "Oh god, that's none of my business. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

Kurt unclasped his hand from Blaine's and quickly brought it to his lap and began playing with the edge of the blanket. He shook his head and stared at where his feet were nestled under the duvet. "No." He sighed. "No, you shouldn't have asked that, but…" He looked over at Blaine through tears in his eyes. "Nobody knows about Dave kissing me but you."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. He kind of understood why Kurt hadn't told Rachel about it because she blabs a lot, but if what Kurt was saying was true, then that meant Landrick still didn't know either. "Wait. What about…"

Another shake of the head, though this time the tears were falling. "I haven't told Landrick either."

"But he… I thought he helped you confront your bully after it happened?" Blaine reached over and grabbed a box of tissues off his nightstand and put them on the bed between he and Kurt in the same spot where their hands were just occupying.

Kurt grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears away from his eyes. His shoulders sunk as he confessed, "He did. But he only thought I was getting shoved into lockers. He didn't know about the kiss… or the death threat. And now he and Rachel and everyone – well, everyone except for you – thinks that he's my first kiss. And it's killing me, but I can't just tell him now. I can't."

Blaine immediately felt extremely guilty for feeling burdened before by knowing Kurt's secret. He wished he could take back his stupid question and pretend that it wasn't something that was eating away at him for the past few weeks.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, ashamed. "That was selfish of me and I shouldn't have asked you that." Blaine shook his head at himself. "Feel free to take back your request to be friends again."

Though Blaine was being completely serious, his comment caused Kurt to snort. "God, we are a mess, aren't we?" They sat quietly for a moment, the silence awkward but probably not as much as it should have been. Eventually, Kurt shifted so he was facing Blaine. "Look, over the past few months, you've become one of my best friends, Blaine. And I feel comfortable telling you stuff because you're you… but I'm hung-over and I don't think I am in the position to explain myself any better than that right now. But, I promise we can talk about all this later, okay?"

Blaine nodded. He wanted answers to so many questions, but he knew then was not the right time. Truth be told, he was still a bit hung-over too, and he knew that if he expected Kurt to tell him about Landrick, then Blaine would probably have to tell Kurt about Jeremiah. He didn't know what he and Jeremiah were, if they were anything, but honesty was a two way street in a friendship and Kurt probably had a right to know. However, it was too early in the morning (even though it was nearing 11:00 by this point), and they had too big of headaches to get into deep discussion at the moment. All this thinking was making his head hurt even worse, so Blaine scooted himself forward until he was laying down on the bed. He then wiggled around until he managed to get himself underneath his covers, though made a conscious effort to keep his body as far from Kurt's as possible.

Kurt looked down at his friend and gave him half a smile. "You look about as bad as I feel. I should probably go, huh?" He went to get out of bed, but was stopped by Blaine's arm reaching up and grabbing his.

"You can stay if you want…"

There was a buzz from Kurt's phone, which was under the bed in his shoe. Blaine let go of his arm as he leaned down and fished around for his phone. It was a text from Landrick. "Woke up and you were gone! Am going home myself. Call me later? Happy New Year! xoxo" Kurt thought for a moment and texted back "Safe travels home! Expect a call tonight :P" Kurt shoved his phone back in the shoe and slid back under the covers. "Your bed is ridiculously comfortable, you know."

Blaine hummed in agreement, his eyes already closed. "Happy New Year, Kurt."

"Happy New Year, Blaine."

…

When Blaine woke up a couple hours later, he found himself alone in bed, though on the side where Kurt was. He had drool running down his chin and his hair was sticking up every which way it possible could. Though he still had a bit of a headache, he felt rested and a lot better than before. As his eyes adjusted to being awake, he noticed there was a bottle of water and a couple aspirins on his nightstand next to the tissue box that was back in its rightful spot. Blaine sat up and opened the bottle of water. He took a sip before popping the pills in his mouth. He swallowed the aspirins and then proceeded to chug the rest of the water.

Eventually, Blaine wandered down to the kitchen. He swung the refrigerator door wide open and was looking at drink options when he heard his sister walk up the basement stairs.

"Can you grab me a V8?" Blaine scrunched his nose at her request, but grabbed her a bottle of the offending juice and then took out the carton of orange juice before shutting the door. He took a seat on a barstool across the island from her and slid her bottle toward her. "Thanks, brother."

"You're welcome, sister." They each opened their respective juices and took sips. Blaine knew he looked a mess and saw his sister looked the same. Her hair was in a very un-Rachel like messy ponytail and she was wearing gray sweatpants and a sparkly pink thermal top. "How's clean-up going?"

"I think I'm finally done, no thanks to anyone else. I mean, Kurt helped for a bit before he left a little while ago, but other than that, no one even recycled their own bottles." She shook her head. "Heathens." Blaine's eyebrows rose at the mention of Kurt's name, but Rachel didn't seem to notice. "Dads will be home later. Remember, there was no party here."

Blaine nodded, "And I did not stay out all night at Wes's."

Rachel lifted her V8 bottle up toward her brother and he toasted it with his orange juice carton before they both took another sip.

…

Before anyone was ready for it, school was back in session. Though Kurt had been doing well catching up with the rigorous course load at Dalton, he was a bit underprepared for how quickly the start of the new semester got underway. While the day after winter break was syllabus day at McKinley, it was syllabus day and then dive first into extensive lessons at Dalton.

Junior level students were expected to do their coursework on top of prepare for statewide testing they would need to complete during the month of May. Passing these tests was a requirement to graduate from high school. The tests were administered junior year so that if someone failed, he or she would have the opportunity to take them again at the beginning of their senior year. Although Blaine was a sophomore, he had the option to take the tests if he wanted to because he was enrolled in all junior-level classes. When he saw how panicked Kurt looked about the tests, Blaine decided he would take them too. He was going to have to take them eventually, may as well be able to help Kurt study and get them out of the way now. It was a win-win situation.

It took a little over a week, but Blaine managed to help Kurt get his studying and course load under control on top of practicing with the Warblers for Regionals. Because they were so busy, Kurt spent less time at the Berry household and more time studying with Blaine in the student lounge. He and Landrick were still going strong, so any out-of-school free time was spent shopping with his boyfriend or going to the movies.

Blaine's personal life got a little busier too. He was still composing music for camp applications and had gotten bursts of inspiration lately. Most nights were spent working out melodies on his keyboard, or frantically erasing and rewriting chords on staff paper.

He was still in the thick of things with Jeremiah too. Blaine had been back to the Gap a couple times (Rachel did love her Gap gift card and the Warblers were grateful for the scarves he picked out for all of them), but the two of them hadn't had a chance to go on another coffee date yet. After the New Year, their texting conversations went from a few random musings throughout the day to hours of back and forth about dumb movies, celebrity crushes and some heavy flirting. Blaine liked the attention and it allowed him to not think about Kurt being with Landrick.

Kurt and Blaine still hadn't talked out their issues from winter break, but they were quick to acknowledge they had some things to work out but studying was a priority. They kept conversations light and impersonal, which worked for them on the surface. Each boy longed to ask the other a bunch of questions and demand answers of why they almost kissed, but it was just easier to not address it.

Warblers practices were getting intense. Each Monday, the Council gave them a pop song or two to perfect for a full-out performance on Friday. Their goal was to have 8-10 songs ready to pick from by the time the end of February rolled around. That would give them a few weeks to make their final selections and be ready for Regionals.

One Friday morning near the end of January, Kurt asked Blaine if he wanted to join him, Landrick, Rachel and Mercedes for coffee after school. Blaine knew his sister was missing spending time with Kurt and was flattered Kurt asked, but part of him wanted to say No because Landrick would be there too, and he didn't know how awkward that was going to be. Blaine smiled at his friend, but politely declined the offer, saying he promised his dads he would help them with something. It was mostly a lie, but Kurt accepted the answer, no questions asked. Kurt knew it was likely a lost cause anyway, getting Blaine and Landrick to hang out in a social situation, but he made a point to ask anyway.

That afternoon, the Warblers staged their rendition of Destiny's Child's "Bills Bills Bills." Blaine owned the space, dancing his way in and out of his fellow Warblers while he sang. Kurt admired the fact that Blaine never tried to imitate the original artist, but put his own quirky flair spin on the song, whether it was the silly dance moves her threw in, or the way his hands involuntarily waved about to the music. It was a fun song and though it wasn't quite the right fit for competition, it was a shining example of how they were technically ready for Regionals.

After school, Blaine watched Kurt and Landrick get into Kurt's Navigator for their coffee date with Rachel and Mercedes. Blaine threw his satchel on the passenger seat of his Subaru and slammed the door shut. He cranked up his music and drove straight home where he did help his dads sort through some files in the den before they went out to dinner with a work colleague, leaving Blaine to his own devices.

Blaine showered and changed into comfortable clothes by time his sister, Mercedes and Kurt came home. The three of them made a resolution on New Year's to have at least one sleepover a month, regardless how busy their schedules got. The friends found Blaine in the kitchen, pulling some tater tots out of the oven.

"Oh my god, those smell so good," Mercedes exclaimed as she sat down on a barstool.

Blaine smiled as he set the cookie sheet of tots onto the stovetop next to a lidded pot. "Well, I made enough for everyone. I have chili cooking too; I thought we could make chili fries. Well, chili tots. There's cheese and sour cream in the fridge."

Kurt joined Mercedes on the barstools as Rachel went to the fridge and started pulling out sodas for her friends. "Blaine! You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged, "I know, but after the dads left, I felt like cooking. And I thought I remembered you saying tonight was your sleepover, so I figured you'd probably be hungry after your coffee date."

Rachel slid Kurt and Mercedes cans of Diet Coke before settling herself onto a barstool. "Thanks. You're the best little brother ever."

Blaine smiled and then glanced over at the group. His smile faded when he saw they all looked pretty glum. "What's wrong with you guys?"

"Football problems," Kurt replied.

That was definitely not an answer Blaine was expecting. "What?" He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bag of cheese and the container of sour cream. After closing the door with his foot, he walked over to the island and put the dairy products down in the middle.

"All the guys on the football team quit. Well, all the guys who aren't in glee club. And now they don't have enough people to play in the championship next weekend. So all the glee guys are super depressed," Rachel answered.

"Yeah, and you can't play with just five guys, and one of the guys is in a wheelchair. So, basically we're screwed and have to forfeit," Mercedes added.

"Oh," Blaine responded. He opened a cupboard and grabbed four bowls, which he then set on the counter. "Well, the good news, kind of, is that you only need four more guys. High school regulations actually let you play a couple guys short if you want to."

Kurt turned around and looked at Blaine. "How on earth do you know that?"

Blaine shrugged as he grabbed a spatula out of a drawer and closed it with his hip. "I love football."

"And I love scarves," Kurt retorted at Blaine matter-of-factly before he turned back to face the girls, "but where are they going to get four more guys if no one will sign up?"

Rachel's eyebrows rose as a grin spread across her face. "Hey Blaine, are there any rules against girls playing high school football?"

Knowing what his sister was getting at, a smile crept across Blaine's face as he shook his head. "No, I can't say there are." Blaine grabbed a bowl and started scooping in some tater tots. "You're crazy, you know."

"Crazy brilliant," Rachel responded as she hopped off her barstool and skipped over to her brother. "But that's why you love me." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed the bowl of tots out of his hand. "This is vegan chili, right?" He nodded and grabbed another bowl to fill with tots.

A few minutes later, bowls of chili tots were sitting in front of Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel. Blaine had his bowl in his hand as he flung open the fridge to grab his own can of soda. Drink acquired, he was halfway across the kitchen when Kurt called out to him, "Hey, stay and eat with us." Blaine turned around and locked eyes with Kurt. "Please?"

So, instead of walking out of the kitchen, Blaine found himself on a barstool next to Kurt and across from his sister and Mercedes. They all laughed, shared stories and fell into easy conversation.

During dinner, Rachel was taken aback by the way her little brother kept looking at Kurt like he was the most precious person on the planet and how Kurt looked at him the same way in return. She knew the two of them had become friends ever since Kurt transferred to Dalton, but something seemed strange. Having spent the afternoon with Kurt and his boyfriend, Rachel was surprised to see how Kurt interacted with Blaine on a much more intimate level.

During coffee, Kurt and Landrick sat next to each other, but they didn't look at each other the way Kurt and Blaine were during dinner. Kurt would look over at Landrick and dutifully smile at an anecdote he told, and Landrick would eyeball Kurt like he was some sort of prize. But at dinner, a small smile on Kurt's would grow into a wide grin whenever Blaine found the courage to speak up and voice his opinion. And Blaine, Blaine looked at Kurt with so much adoration and reverence. They would briefly lock eyes and look away, as if they had gotten caught doing something wrong, only to repeat their actions moments later.

"So, Landrick's kind of cocky, huh Kurt?" Rachel blurted out as dinner came to an end.

Kurt's eyebrow's shot up and Blaine almost choked on a tater tot. "Pardon?" Kurt asked, confused as to why Rachel seemed to ask that out of nowhere.

She shrugged, "No, I was just thinking about what he said at the Lima Bean earlier. About how you guys are going to kick our butts at Regionals because the number you did today was, and I quote, 'off the hook.'"

Mercedes side-eyed Rachel, wondering where her friend was going with this new topic of discussion.

"Well…," Kurt started, but didn't know how to finish his sentence. Thinking back to coffee earlier, he was a bit put off when Landrick started bragging like that, especially when he could tell something was bothering his friends.

Blaine could tell Kurt was struggling for an answer, so he came up with one for him. As seriously as he could, Blaine attempted to be cocky as he said, "Well, he was right. You guys need to watch out because I slayed that song this afternoon. New Direction's ain't got nothing on me." Immediately embarrassed by his rudeness, Blaine ducked his head and shoveled a couple tater tots in his mouth. He kept his head down as he chewed, though he could feel the others staring at him.

Rachel knew her brother said what he said and the way he said it on purpose. She could tell he was embarrassed and Kurt was mortified, so she switched topics. "Mercedes, you forgot to tell me about the new outfit you're going to wear to church on Sunday. Once again Mercedes looked at Rachel with a confused look, but after seeing Rachel nod her head over toward Kurt and Blaine, she played along with Rachel's weird question.

Kurt leaned in toward Blaine and whispered, "What is wrong with you?"

The youngest Berry swallowed the tater tots he was chewing and dared to look at Kurt before he whispered back, "I'm sorry. Rachel shouldn't have said that. But I shouldn't have said what I said either."

"I can fight my own battles, you know," Kurt responded quietly.

"I do know," Blaine explained. "That's why I'm sorry."

…

Dinner ended soon after Blaine's outburst. Though Kurt offered to do the dishes, Blaine waved him off and said he was his sister's guest, so he should go upstairs and spend time with her and Mercedes.

As laughter rung out on the floor above him, Blaine scrubbed the dishes while muttering to himself how he shouldn't have said anything. His sister was right, though, Landrick was cocky. He was a cocky son of bitch. And Kurt was far too good for him. But, as far as Blaine was concerned, Kurt was far too good for him as well.

Once the last dish was done, Blaine retreated to his room to work on some compositions. Headphones on, Blaine didn't hear when Kurt knocked softly on his door a half hour or so later. He almost fell out of his chair when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Whipping his head around, Blaine's panic lessened when he saw it was Kurt. Blaine slid his headphones off and hung them around his neck. "God, Kurt, you scared me."

"Sorry," Kurt apologized as he sat down on the edge of Blaine's bed. "I knocked a few times, but you didn't reply. I saw your light on, so I just kinda went for it. I didn't mean to scare you."

Blaine nodded in understanding. His heart stopped racing quite so fast as he looked over at Kurt, who had since changed into some Dior gray silk pajamas. "Shouldn't you be with my sister and Mercedes, gossiping about boys and doing each other's hair?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine's joke. "Ha. Ha. And to think I came here to ask if you wanted to join us."

Triangular eyebrows shot up. "Really?" Kurt nodded as Blaine blushed. "Well, thank you for the offer, but I think you three deserve a night together. I know how much you miss spending time with them. Plus, I don't think I'd be the best company tonight."

"That's too bad. I was really looking forward to doing your hair," Kurt said as he reached out and tugged on one of Blaine's curls before standing up from the bed. Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt before he turned to head toward the door and Kurt reciprocated the childish action. They smiled at each other and then Kurt left. Blaine slid his headphones back on, so he didn't hear Kurt say once he was out in the hall, "And for the record, Blaine, you're always good company."


	6. When I Get You Alone

Rachel's plan of having the glee girls join the McKinley football team so they could compete in the state finals worked out. They only had to play the first half because then the rest of the team decided during halftime that they would un-quit. Blaine and his dads watched from the stands, proud of Rachel for putting her vanity aside for a few hours to help her classmates.

The end of January came and went with not much of a fuss. By the beginning of February, Valentine's Day decorations were out in full force. It was already one of Blaine's favorite holidays, but this year he had an extra spring in his step because he was in love.

Or at least he thought he was.

Having never had a boyfriend before, he had to assume what he felt for Jeremiah was the real deal. The flirty texts that were borderline PG-13, the brief phone calls to discuss Jeremiah's latest contribution to the Sunday morning adverts in the paper ("I know it's only JCPenney, but did you see how much bigger I was on the page than that other guy?" "I know Jeremiah! You looked amazing!"), and now a time and place for their second official coffee date.

Blaine spent the morning of his coffee date freaking out over his appearance. He hadn't had a reason to dress to impress in awhile and was worried about making a good second impression. For any other clothes problem, he would default to Kurt. However, even though he and Kurt were trying to be more open and honest with each other, Blaine was still avoiding telling Kurt about Jeremiah. It wasn't that he was embarrassed - far from it - it's just that Kurt still hadn't spilled the beans about how he started dating Landrick the same afternoon he almost kissed Blaine, so Blaine felt justified in keeping his budding relationship with Jeremiah a mystery too.

After trying on multiple outfits and nearly tearing out his hair in the process, Blaine finally settled on a dark pair of cuffed skinny jeans, a white and black striped Henley, and the cranberry cardigan he bought at the Gap the first time he met Jeremiah. In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth for the third time that day before tackling the mess of curls atop his head. Blaine remembered Jeremiah complimenting his hair even though he was pretty sure he looked a hot mess that day. He knew he couldn't just leave his hair frizzy, but he also didn't want to completely gel his curls into submission, so Blaine carefully combed out his hair to make it look like it just ended up that way; messy but artfully so. He thought Kurt would be proud, but would not allow himself to text the other boy about his accomplishment.

Any nerves he had while walking into the Lima Bean melted away when Blaine saw Jeremiah seated at a corner table waiting for him with a huge smile on his face. Jeremiah all but leapt up from his chair and threw his arms around Blaine as he stopped next to the table. "Hey you! It's great to finally see you again outside of the Gap! You look amazing!"

Blaine blushed at the contact, compliment and Jeremiah's enthusiasm. "Thanks. I'm really glad to see you too. Shall we get some coffee?"

They wandered to the line and stood next to each other while they waited for their turn. It took all of Blaine's willpower not to grin like an idiot when Jeremiah purposefully bumped into his shoulder every now and again. Once it was time to order, Blaine asked for a Medium Drip, Jeremiah requested a Mocha Frappucino and then ordered several pieces of biscotti. Blaine reached for his wallet in his back pocket but stopped when Jeremiah threw an arm around his shoulder. "I got it." Before he could protest, Blaine watched as Jeremiah grabbed his own wallet, dug out a $10 bill and thrust it at the cashier. "Keep the change," he mused as he winked at the girl behind the counter. She giggled while Blaine just kind of gawked at what just unfolded. How did he get so lucky to be out on a date with this guy?

Back at the table, the boys sat across from each other and smiled coyly as they sipped their coffees.

"So, you've been busy at work?" Blaine asked, feeling brave and hoping to spark some sort of conversation.

Jeremiah nodded as he swallowed his coffee, "Yeah, working retail over the holidays is killer. I need a vacation."

Blaine chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "I hear ya. I can't wait until Spring Break. I mean, I know I just had winter break, but I could use some more time off, for sure."

"Spring break. Now there's one thing I totally missed out on by not going to college right away. Where do you go to school?" Jeremiah asked.

"Oh, uh, Dalton," Blaine answered before grabbing a piece of biscotti.

"Dalton," Jeremiah repeated, looking confused. "Never heard of it. Is that some sort of community college or something?"

Now it was Blaine's turn to look confused. "Dalton Academy?" He took a bite of his biscotti, but then saw Jeremiah shake his head, as if Blaine's answer didn't clarify his confusion. Blaine put a hand over his mouth and talked while he chewed and swallowed. "It's a prep school over in Westerville. The drive sucks, but my dads won't let me board because they said I should 'wait until college to have that experience.'" He used air quotes and rolled his eyes while he quoted his fathers.

"Wait, you're not in college now?" Jeremiah was really confused.

"No. I mean, I'm smart for my age, but not Doogie Howser smart," Blaine commented along with a gesture of his hand, lifting his coffee cup up in the air.

"Who's Doogie Howser?" Jeremiah couldn't stop shaking his head. He was so lost. "Wait, are you in high school?" As he swallowed another sip of his coffee, Blaine nodded his head. "Are you a senior?" Blaine cocked his head and shook it. "A JUNIOR?"

"Yes," Blaine said, but then shook his head as he thought better of his answer. "Kind of. Well, no, I guess not. I mean I'm taking all junior classes, but technically, I'm a –""

"-Sophomore?!" Jeremiah's eyes were wide. "How old are you?"

Blaine could not understand why Jeremiah was acting weird. "Sixteen. Are you okay?"

Jeremiah was staring at the table, but nodding his head yes even though one look at his eyes would argue otherwise. He flashed his watch in front of his face, but didn't even glance at the time. "Oh, shit, I forgot I had a thing." He shook his head at his lame excuse and thought quick to make up another one, "I told my boss I would cover for Jacob later." In one motion, Jeremiah pushed his chair back and bolted upright.

"Oh, okay." Blaine slid his chair back and stood up too. "Well, it was great seeing you, Jeremiah. Maybe we could do this again sometime?"

"Yeah, maybe," Jeremiah said without really meaning it, but Blaine was too smitten to realize he was being blown off. "Goodbye, Blaine."

"Bye," Blaine said and waved at Jeremiah's back as the older boy grabbed his coffee and coat before rushing out of the Lima Bean.

…

Landrick had a dentist appointment after school on Thursday, so Kurt asked Blaine if he wanted to go out for coffee instead of their normal study session. Kurt had acclimated to Dalton's rigorous course load so they didn't have to study together as much, though they still tried to get together a couple days a week.

Walking into the Lima Bean, Blaine couldn't help but smile to himself about the coffee date he had with Jeremiah in that very establishment mere days prior. Ever since he got home that afternoon, he felt giddy and didn't quite know how to express his feelings. He thought long and hard and had an idea that he wanted to run by Kurt. Perhaps their coffee outing would provide him the opportunity to ask his best friend his opinion about his master plan.

Blaine was still thinking about Jeremiah when Kurt shoved two kissing puppy stuffed animals in front of his face. "Okay, I'm all for flair, but these Valentine's Day decorations are just tacky, I mean, what the hell is this supposed to be?" Kurt asked, completely not impressed.

"That's clearly puppy love," Blaine responded. "It's cute, come one." Kurt accidentally pressed one of the puppy's paws as he went to set it down and the toy started making obnoxious kissing sounds. Blaine's eyes lit up, "Adorable!"

"That's just creepy," Kurt muttered under his breath as he tossed the toy back on the table as the inched forward in line. "It's a simple excuse to see candy and greeting cards on a holiday." For someone who had a boyfriend, Kurt was super bitter about all the Valentine's presents that were presently surrounding him.

"Not true!" Blaine exclaimed as he shook his head at his friend. "People have been celebrating Valentine's Day for centuries. And call me a hopeless romantic, but" he paused momentarily to suck in a breath of air, "it's my favorite holiday."

"Really?" Kurt was beyond surprised to find out this new bit of information about Blaine. Yes, they had become best friends over the past couple months, but he never heard Blaine gush about anything other than music, so to hear him so enthusiastic about a romantic holiday when Blaine never even so much mentioned love or feelings around him was a bit of a shock.

Blaine plowed ahead with his monologue and spoke animatedly with his hands, "I think there's just something really great about a day where you're encouraged to just lay it all on the line and say to somebody…" he turned toward Kurt and looked him in the eye, "…I'm in love with you." There were those hands again; arms out wide and hands motioning in the air as if to drive home the point.

Sometimes it surprised Kurt that Blaine was related to Rachel, other times it did not because they shared similar mannerisms and a flair for the dramatic. This was one of those other times. Kurt just stared, trying to process what Blaine just said, but the younger boy just kept talking.

"You know? And this year, I want to do something really radical, so I need your opinion." Blaine looked Kurt in the eye quickly before his attention veered back down toward the baked goods in front of the cash register. "Well, there's this guy that I sort of… like…" Kurt's attention was piqued. "And I've only known him for a little while, but I want to tell him that I think my feelings are starting to change into something, well, deeper," Blaine chuckled to himself as he looked Kurt in the eye again. "So, I have to ask…," he got real serious all of a sudden. "Do you think it's too much to sing to somebody on Valentine's Day?"

Kurt was taken aback by Blaine's question, and completely missed that Blaine confessed he only knew the other guy for a little while. He swore in that moment, Blaine was definitely talking about him, and his snap judgment was that he was completely okay with that. "Not at all."

Blue eyes stayed locked on Blaine's everything as he leaned stepped up to the cash register to order his coffee.

The young woman behind the counter smiled at Blaine as he approached. "What can I get you?"

"Um, a Medium Drip and a Grande Non-Fat Mocha for this guy," he said, briefly looking over at Kurt. "And maybe I can him to split one of those cupid cookies." Blaine was on cloud nine and nothing could bring him down in that moment. He was having coffee with his best friend, and his best friend jus assured him that serenading Jeremiah was not too much for Valentine's Day.

"You know my coffee order?" Kurt asked, astonished.

Blaine snapped out of his reverie to throw a no shit, Sherlock look at Kurt. "Of course I do." Blaine shook his head and grabbed a $10 bill out of his wallet to give to the cashier when she told him their total was $8.40. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt reach for his wallet. "Don't even bother, dummy, it's on me." He elbowed Kurt in the side as he thrust his money toward the woman behind the counter. "Keep the change." He flashed her a smile and she cracked on in return.

Kurt was still dumbstruck by Blaine's plan to serenade him, that he knew his coffee order, and that he just paid for both their drinks. He may have been going out with Landrick, but this was feeling more and more like a date. As he went to follow Blaine toward the other end of the counter, he couldn't help but lean over and tell the cashier, "I do believe I have a new favorite holiday!"

Though plans for serenading and Valentine's Day shenanigans were not discussed the rest of the time Kurt and Blaine spent together at the Lima Bean, both boys spent the entirety of their time together with large smiles on their faces.

…

The next morning before class, Kurt was sitting in a comfortable leather chair in one of the beautifully mural-lined hallways of Dalton. His new school was so much more beautiful than McKinley and he often found himself content to just relax in a corner and doodle drawings and write names inside the front pages of his notebooks. That day's drawing was a giant red heart, and in it, so far, he had written his name in carefully blocked letters. Tongue poking out of the side of his mouth and in deep concentration, Kurt drew a sizable plus sign under his name. Without stopping, he moved his pen down to the next logical area and drew a thick, vertical line. Instead of drawing a matching thick horizontal line to make an L, Kurt's pen swooped around to the top of the vertical line and headed right, drawing the start of a letter B.

"Hey! Whatcha doing?" Landrick walked up to his boyfriend with a deliciously sly look on his face.

Looking down and noticing the B, Kurt slammed his notebook shut and put on a pleasant smile. "Nothing! Just, uh, daydreaming. Plotting weekend outfits…" As soon as the fib came out of his mouth, he felt a twinge of guilt. Kurt had never outright lied to Landrick. Sometimes he wouldn't tell him he was hanging out with Blaine instead of studying, but he had never actively gone out of his way to lie to his boyfriend. Landrick knew Kurt and Blaine were best friends and dealt with that as best he could, but he was never completely enthusiastic about it.

Kurt stood up and hugged Landrick, which was a bit awkward because Kurt wasn't a huge fan of PDA. However, he felt like he needed to show Landrick that he cared about him. Kurt was not in love with Landrick. He didn't even think he loved him… but he did care, and they were boyfriends, so Kurt thought he should make some extra effort in being present in his relationship even though a bigger part of him was now apparently thinking about Blaine.

Landrick was a bit shocked by the unexpected hug, but gladly accepted it, letting his hands travel down Kurt's back toward his waist. Kurt felt his boyfriend's hands move and pulled out of the hug, though kept the smile on his face.

"Well, come on. You're going to want to see this," Landrick told Kurt as he grabbed his hand. "Blanderson called an emergency meeting of the Warblers Council."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows at the nickname Landrick insisted on calling Blaine, and the fact that Blaine called such a meeting. Though he had only been with the Warblers a couple months, Kurt knew emergency meetings were rarely called; especially by a non-Council member. "Sounds serious," Kurt commented as he shoved his notebook into his satchel with a free hand and then shouldered the bag.

With a chuckle, Landrick started dragging Kurt toward the practice room, "Let's hope not. I think I overheard him say that he wanted to ask for a, and I quote, 'tiny little favor.'"

Once in the practice room, Kurt and Landrick found two empty seats together on a couch. Just as they settled in, Wes banged his gavel at the Council desk. "This emergency meeting is called to order. Junior member Blaine Anderson, the floor is yours."

As Blaine smiled and nodded at Wes in thanks, Landrick leaned in and whispered to Kurt, "This better be good or Blanderson's going to get it." Kurt shushed his boyfriend and smacked him on the leg as he prepared to pay full attention to his best friend.

"Esteemed council, I'll be brief," Blaine started as he stood in front of his Warbler peers. "Simply put, I'm in love." Murmuring sounded throughout the room and a few people wolf whistled as Blaine's eyes darted around with slight embarrassment. However, when he saw Kurt and focused on his best friend, he relaxed, especially as the older boy smiled at him. This silent encouragement allowed Blaine to continue on with his confession. "I'm not really good at talking about my feelings. Um, I'm much better at singing them…" Kurt's attention was fully on Blaine as if there were no one else in the room. Blaine was grateful and it was easier to talk if he was just looking at Kurt. "But still, I could use a little help, which is why I'm asking to enlist the Warblers to help serenade this individual, in song," he took a breath before finishing his request, "off campus."

The room exploded into shouts of "what?" and murmurs that Blaine was crazy to ask such a thing. Kurt held his breath as he watched Blaine hold strong even though his peers were not on his side at the moment.

Wes banged his gavel again to bring order back to the room. Before he could say anything, Blaine spoke up for himself. "I-I-I know what I'm asking is s-slightly… unusual –"

"The Warblers haven't performed in an informal setting since 1927," Wes exclaimed as Blaine rolled his eyes, "when the Spirit of St. Louis shot the tarmac and plowed through seven Warblers during an impromptu rendition of 'Welcome to Ohio, Lucky Lindy.'"

As Wes's sentence drifted off while he was in deep though, David jumped in and demanded, "Why would we even consider what you're asking?"

Although Blaine was shaking on the inside, he had long since adapted a steadfast composure in front of the Warblers and instinct took over. "I firmly believe that our reticence to perform in public nearly cost us a trip to Regionals. We're becoming privileged porcelain birds."

More shouts erupted from the Warblers as Wes and David shook their heads. Council member Thad sneered at Blaine, "You mock us, Sir."

Blaine was surrounded by a room full of identically dressed seething boys and only Kurt could tell that his School Blaine façade was on the verge of cracking. His heart was breaking as Blaine stood alone, repeatedly getting shot down for wanting to sing him a song. Without really thinking about his actions, Kurt shot an arm up into the air, almost hitting Landrick in the face as he did so. "May I please say something?" Before anyone gave him an aural okay, Kurt got up from the couch and pulled focus off Blaine. "With respect, I believe Blaine has a point." Blaine sighed as he locked eyes with Kurt, thankful that his best friend was sticking up for him. "The Warblers are so concerned with image and tradition that sometimes I think we miss out on opportunities to… step outside our comfort zones."

Normally Kurt was fine with all attention being on him, but he found himself a little nervous speaking in front of his fellow Warblers. He was still the newest member of the group and was constantly worried about fitting in. He was sure this was not helping his cause, but he would do just about anything for Blaine, so he kept talking. "Now, when I was on New Directions, we performed in front of hostile crowds pretty much anywhere we went. I mean, mattress stores, shopping malls… I had a cat thrown at me at a nursing home once." A wave of chuckles from around the room gave Kurt confidence to keep going. "But, it, it gave us confidence." Kurt looked at Blaine who nodded in agreement. "It kept us loose."

"And, where would this performance take place?" Wes asked, though he still didn't sound completely convinced that the Warblers should grant Blaine his request.

Landrick side-eyed Kurt as he finally sat back down and then both boys turned their attention to Blaine as he answered. "At the Gap, at the North Hills mall." Kurt cocked his head at the mention of the location. Why would Blaine want to serenade him there? They had never been to that store, let alone that mall together. "I'd like to call it, 'The Warblers Gap Attack,'" Blaine announced, coaxing another round of chuckles out of his peers.

Kurt's curiosity couldn't take it any longer. "Why the Gap?"

Blaine couldn't keep it in any longer. He knew if he wanted to get the Warblers in on his plan, he had to tell them the truth. "The guy that I like is a Junior Manager."

Kurt's smile dropped fast and his eyes lost their usual sparkle. He heard Wes bang his gavel again and ask if all were in favor of Blaine's request, but he didn't see that everyone else in the room – including Landrick – raised his hand in agreement.

A Junior Manager? Blaine never mentioned liking anyone, let alone a Junior Manager at the Gap. Kurt felt sick to his stomach. He was so sure than Blaine was planning on singing to him. How could he have been so stupid?

Landrick draped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and that grounded Kurt back in reality. "Ha! For a minute there, I thought Blanderson was going to say he had a crush on you! That would have been hilarious!"

"Hilarious," Kurt repeated, his voice void of emotion. He saw Blaine flash him a huge grin before the rest of the Warblers swarmed the younger boy as they clapped him on the back.

…

That night found Kurt sprawled across Rachel's bed wearing pajamas and eating pizza. Blaine was dogsitting overnight for a friend of the family, so there was no risk of running into him in the house like Kurt often did when he spent the night at the Berrys.

Though they were watching Rachel's favorite movie, Funny Girl, her attention was focused on her silent and sad friend next to her instead of her idol up on the screen. Rachel grabbed the remote control and paused the movie.

"I can't take this anymore. Spill, Kurt. Or I'm going to make you tell me what's wrong." Rachel grabbed the slice of pizza out of Kurt's hand and set it back in the pizza box before crossing her arms over her chest.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "You can't make me doing anything, Rachel."

"Well, maybe not, but I know something's wrong because you didn't tell me to stop singing when Barbra was singing," Rachel pointed out matter-of-factly. Kurt sighed in defeat. "So, what is it? Are you worried you're going to lose at Regionals next month?" Kurt scoffed out of his nose. "Did you walk in on Finn…touching himself again?"

"Ew! No, Rachel!" Kurt smacked her with a pillow.

"Well what then? Boy troubles?" Rachel was being facetious, but realized she hit a nerve when Kurt tensed up. "Oh my god, that's it, isn't it? Did you break up with Landrick?" Silence. "Did he break up with you?"

"What? No!" Kurt's eyebrows shot up.

"Then what is it Kurt?"

"It's Blaine." Kurt immediately brought a pillow up in front of his face so he wouldn't have to see Rachel's reaction.

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Blaine? My brother, Blaine?" Kurt nodded, causing the pillow to move up and down. Rachel grabbed the pillow and lowered it so she could look Kurt in the eye. "What about him?"

Kurt couldn't keep eye contact. He dropped his chin and suddenly found his hands to be the most interesting things in the room. "I think he's in love with… someone."

Rachel was puzzled, but then remembered the way her brother had been looking at Kurt during dinner the other weekend. "Oh, sweetheart…"

"And he wants the Warblers to help sing to him. At the Gap."

Rachel was confused. "Wait, I don't understand."

Kurt dared to look back up at Rachel, though he had the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "He's in love with a Junior Manager at the Gap."

At the Gap? Rachel didn't know about her brother liking someone at the Gap. As far as she knew, she thought her brother had a crush on Kurt… and that Kurt might have a crush on her brother. Her eyebrows furrowed in understanding at why Kurt was so upset, but he really didn't have a right to be. "But, Kurt… you have a boyfriend."

Kurt looked back down in shame. "I know."

Rachel reached out and took one of Kurt's hands in her own. "Hey, it's okay."

Shaking his head, Kurt whispered, "No, it's not."

"Are you… jealous?" Rachel asked.

Kurt shrugged and shook his head. "I don't even know. Like, he's my best friend, and I'm upset he didn't tell me about this other guy. But at the same time, I thought he wanted to sing to me… and then when he said he wanted to sing to someone else… Oh, god. Don't even listen to me. I'm just being stupid."

"Kurt," she said compassionately.

He shook her off, "Don't. Please."

After a few moments of silence (save for some sniffling), Rachel asked delicately, "Are you going to go? To the Gap?"

"Sh-should I?" Kurt asked through the last few tears.

"That's up to you. But you said it yourself; Blaine is your best friend. If you were him, what would you want your best friend to do?"

Kurt sighed. "You're right. I should go."

"That's there spirit. Go scope out the competition!"

"Rachel!"

"What?" Rachel asked defiantly. "I've seen the way you two look at each other." Kurt's eyes got wide. "Look, you may be fooling yourselves and everyone else at your school, but I've seen it, Kurt. And I don't want either of you to get hurt because of it."

…

Jeremiah was working the 10-6 shift at the Gap on Sunday February 13th, so the Warblers planned their serenade for 2:00pm.

Though it should have seemed odd for twenty high school-aged boys in prep school uniforms to gather in a clothing store, no one said anything to mall security. The Warblers split up and walked around different areas of the store, waiting for Blaine to give them a signal to start.

Blaine was excited and nervous at the same time. He had grabbed Kurt by the arm and dragged him to a coat rack across the store from where Jeremiah was folding sweaters. Jeremiah hadn't seen him come in, nor did he notice Blaine staring at him as he haphazardly sifted through some winter coats he had no intention of buying.

"That's him," Blaine said to Kurt, nodding over toward Jeremiah. "The blond one folding sweaters." Kurt glanced up and followed Blaine's gaze toward the object of the younger boy's affection as of late.

"I can see the appeal. That is quite a head of hair," Kurt said, internally seething. It wasn't that the other boy wasn't attractive – he was – but it was that he was too attractive. Like, model-attractive.

"His name is Jeremiah," Blaine continued with a sigh. "You know, if he and I got married, the Gap would give me a 50% discount." Kurt's eyes rolled on their own accord and he could feel his insides tightening. He couldn't tell if he was more upset that Blaine was already talking marriage, or that Blaine was talking marriage about a guy that he didn't even know about. But, as he saw Blaine's body language melt into uncertainty, Kurt's attitude shifted. "This is insane," Blaine muttered to himself as he shook his head and started to retreat. "I don't know what I'm doing. We haven't even really gone out on a date. I – we shouldn't do this."

Blaine tried to brush past Kurt and on instinct Kurt grabbed Blaine by the shoulders to stop him. Regardless of his own confused feelings, Kurt couldn't take seeing Blaine close in on himself like that. Over the past few months, Kurt was glad to see Blaine open up and speak his mind. So, to see Blaine start to second guess himself and try to run away from the situation made Kurt's heart hurt more than it did seeing Blaine pine after someone else.

"Okay, come on. Come on. Man up," Kurt told Blaine as he turned him around and guided him back toward the direction Jeremiah was in. "You're amazing. He's going to love you." Blaine turned his head and locked eyes with Kurt before he stepped away on his own accord. Small smiles were exchanged and Kurt nodded his best friend on even though it pained him to do so.

It hurt Kurt to watch Blaine walk toward Jeremiah, so he tore his eyes away from his best friend and scanned the store for Landrick and found him standing near the Warblers Council members, awaiting Blaine's signal to start singing. Landrick glanced over at Kurt and gave him a wide grin, a waggle of his eyebrows and a wave of his fingertips. Kurt pursed his lips to keep himself from grinning at the other boy's silliness.

When the Warblers started harmonizing, Kurt whipped his head back toward Blaine and saw him take a moment for himself before he put up his School Blaine façade and strolled toward Jeremiah. His mouth almost dropped as he watched his friend flip some sort of imaginary switch. But, as much as he admired Blaine's sudden confidence, Kurt couldn't understand why Blaine would have to assume this persona if he had such strong feelings for this Jeremiah guy.

Kurt and the Warblers accompanied Blaine on his serenade song of choice; Robin Thicke's "When I Get You Alone." Upon learning the lyrics to the song, Kurt almost choked when he got to the parts about sex toys and changed last names. Blaine must have been telling the truth when he said he was in love and it pained Kurt that Blaine didn't trust him enough to tell him about this other guy.

Though it killed Kurt to watch Blaine sing to someone else, he had to remind himself that he was dating Landrick and Blaine was free to fall for whomever he wanted. Just because they almost kissed before Christmas didn't mean that Blaine was in love with him, even though that wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

Blaine was pouring his whole heart and soul into the performance, but that didn't seem to be making the right kind of impression on Jeremiah. Kurt watched as the other boy's eyes widened in shock as a group of identically dressed guys started singing to him. Every now and again, he would get some sort of message over his earpiece and tried to avoid being cornered by Blaine and his peers, but to no avail. A wave of relief washed over both Kurt and Jeremiah as the song ended. The other customers in the store clapped and cheered for the impromptu song, but Kurt could tell that its recipient was not overjoyed with the attention.

Post-serenade, a majority of the Warblers decided to go for pizza in the food court. Blaine broke off from the group and went outside to wait on the bench, hoping to get a chance to talk to Jeremiah. Not wanting Blaine to wait by himself, Kurt told the other boys he had to make a phone call and excused himself outside. Landrick gave him a knowing look, disappointed Kurt was opting to go sit with Blaine instead of be with the group, but decided not to say anything. Kurt was grateful for his silence, even though he could tell his boyfriend was not happy.

Outside, Blaine looked up when he heard someone approaching; hoping it was Jeremiah but not entirely displeased to see it was his best friend. Wordless, Blaine slid over and Kurt sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a while as Kurt watched Blaine's knee nervously bounce up and down.

"Do you think it was too much?" Blaine finally asked, looking up at Kurt. The two locked eyes and though Kurt didn't have the heart to tell Blaine that it was a bit much, Blaine could read Kurt's attempt at a blank expression like a book. "Yeah, it was too much. It was..." Blaine couldn't bring himself to finish his thought. He shook his head to himself and began to close his shoulders in when a jingle of a bell indicated the Gap's backdoor was opening. Blaine shot up off the bench as Jeremiah walked out of the store toward the bench. "Jeremiah! Hey!"

The Junior Manager glared at Blaine before pulling his hood up over his hair. Kurt knew in a heartbeat that Jeremiah didn't want anyone to see him talking to Blaine. This was not going to end well. "What the hell were you doing?" His tone was icy at best.

Blaine's innocent smile and utter confusion about the situation was endearing to Kurt, but not to Jeremiah. "What?"

"I just got fired," Jeremiah retorted. Blaine and Kurt's heads jerked back in unison, neither expecting this as a possible outcome for Blaine's serenade. "You can't just bust a groove in the middle of somebody else's workplace." He chuckled, but it was condescending in the sense that he couldn't believe Blaine's idiocy.

Blaine still couldn't understand how what he did was a bad thing because it had gotten a good response from the other people in the store. It may have been too much, but it was a crowd pleaser. Blaine always strived to be a crowd pleaser. "But, they loved it."

"Well my boss didn't," Jeremiah snapped back as he shook his head. "Neither did I." Blaine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Jeremiah leaned forward. "No one here knows I'm gay."

Kurt could tell Blaine was at a loss for words, so he cut in with what he thought was a humorous barb. "Can I be honest? Just with the hair, I think they do…"

Jeremiah rolled his eyes at Kurt and then turned back toward the speechless Warbler. "Blaine. Let's just be clear here. You and I got coffee twice. We're not dating." At this, Blaine shook his head and nodded it, trying to acknowledge that he understood what the other boy was telling him, but failing spectacularly. His face flushed pink with embarrassment. "If we were, I'd get arrested because you're underage." Jeremiah punched him on the shoulder twice, trying to let him down gently, but just coming off like an uppity douchebag. He walked away without so much as a goodbye leaving Blaine standing alone, at a loss for words.

Kurt winced as he watched the aftermath of the situation unfold before him. Jeremiah was obviously a jerk and his heart broke for his best friend who just stood there, unable to do anything but look like a kicked puppy. Blaine turned to Kurt for solace, but the older boy could only give him a supportive half a smile. Kurt didn't have the words either.

…

On Monday February 14th, Kurt was greeted in homeroom with a single rose on his desk and a small heart-shaped box of chocolates. He couldn't help but smile as he snatched up the accompanying note and read the clichéd words scrawled in Landrick's lopsided handwriting. "To my Valentine… from his Valentine." It was his first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend and as much as Kurt thought he was against the excuse for commercializing romance, even he had to admit feeling giddy for receiving presents from his boyfriend.

Before Warblers practice, Kurt grabbed Landrick's hand and dragged him to the corner of the rehearsal space. He planted a quick peck on Landrick's cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for being my Valentine, Valentine." With a smile on his face, Kurt opened the flap to his satchel and pulled out an envelope. "Happy Valentine's Day, Landrick."

Landrick's eyes widened with glee as he grabbed the envelope out of Kurt's hand and tore it open. He quickly glanced at the homemade card Kurt had made and focused his attention to the coupon he found inside. "Breadstix. Fun! They're bringing back that all you can eat pasta bar. Thanks, Kurt!"

A gavel from Wes indicated that rehearsal was starting, so Kurt didn't have time to linger on the fact that his boyfriend didn't even mention the card, which took him hours to make the night before. Landrick grabbed his hand and the two of them made their way to the couch to listen to the Council's agenda for that day's practice.

Time flew by as they began practicing a new potential Regionals song and soon it was the end of rehearsal. Blaine accidentally grabbed Kurt's satchel by mistake and started to walk out the door with it when Kurt ran over to catch up to him. "Hey Blaine, wait! That's my bag!"

The younger boy stopped in his tracks and turned around to walk back toward Kurt. "Sorry. I thought it was mine…" He shrugged the strap off his shoulder and held it out to Kurt.

Kurt took his bag and thanked his friend, but noticed Blaine looked miserable. He wasn't surprised; not after the rejection he faced yesterday and then the fact that it was now Valentine's Day and he was stuck listening to everyone else talk about their significant others. Kurt wanted to talk to Blaine, but not at school. They had a half-day since the seniors were having some sort of college-prep assembly that was going to take up the whole afternoon. Kurt was planning on just going home before he went out to dinner with Landrick that night, but suddenly had an idea.

"Since we have a half day today, do you want to go get coffee after school?" Kurt asked Blaine. "You look like you could use some caffeine."

Blaine scoffed out a laugh at Kurt's comment. "Is it that obvious?" Both boys smiled, but Blaine's faded quickly. "But wait. Don't you have a date with Landrick?"

Kurt could see the sadness behind Blaine's eyes. "Yeah, but not until dinner. I though we could talk because it seems like I missed out on some things with you over the past few weeks."

Blaine's eyes widened, mortified. "I-"

A bell rang, cutting Blaine off and causing Kurt to groan. "Crap! I have to go to Pre-Calc. Lima Bean later though, yeah?"

Kurt didn't even want for an answer before he ran out the door. Blaine found himself alone before he had a chance to answer. "Yeah. Sure. Happy Valentine's Day to me. Coffee with my best friend before his dinner date with his boyfriend. That's not sad at all."

...

That afternoon, Kurt and Blaine stood shoulder to shoulder in line at the Lima Bean. Kurt didn't quite know how to start their conversation, but got out having to come up with something when Blaine suddenly grunted next to him and muttered, "Ugh. Don't they have anything here that isn't covered with stupid little hearts? Gross."

"Well, you certainly changed your tune," Kurt said lightly, hoping to ease the tension with sarcasm.

Blaine sighed, "I don't think I've ever made that big a fool out of myself, which is really saying something because I've performed at theme parks." Self-loathing and embarrassment dripped off each word as Blaine slouched where he stood. He may have been dressed like School Blaine, but Home Blaine was the person standing next to Kurt. "I just can't believe I made it all up in my head." If Blaine weren't staring at the floor, Kurt would have been able to see his eyes rolling at himself.

Kurt's heart hurt for Blaine, but he was still wondering why Blaine hadn't told him about Jeremiah to begin with. He wanted to help, but didn't know how because Blaine kept this from him and he was worried that their friendship wasn't as solid as it seemed. "Okay, can I ask you something? Because we've always been honest with each other… You and I – we hang out, we sing flirty duets together, you know my coffee order. We're friends right?"

Blaine had no idea where Kurt was going with this. "What do you mean?

With a deep breath, Kurt decided to just plow ahead with what was on his mind. "I thought the guy that you wanted to serenade on Valentine's Day… was me. It's just that you never told me about Jeremiah, so when you were asking me all that stuff last week, I thought you were talking about… me."

After a few moments of speechlessness, Blaine managed to choke out, "Wow. I really am clueless." He looked up and locked eyes with his best friend, searching for the right words. "Look, Kurt… I don't know what I'm doing," he said with surrender. "I pretend like I do, and I know how to act it out in song. But the truth is…" Blaine's voice dropped to a whisper. "I've never really been anyone's boyfriend." There was pain in his voice, as if this was something he was ashamed of.

Kurt figured as much with Blaine's lack of relationship experience, but he didn't think it was something Blaine should feel bad about. "I'm not an expert in this field either, you know."

"I really care about you, Kurt," Blaine said with a sad smile before dropping his gaze back down to the floor. "But you have Landrick." He sighed. "I know I'm not very good at romance, but I don't want to screw this up. You're my best friend."

Kurt's heart melted at Blaine's admission. "You're my best friend too, Blaine, which is why I don't get why you didn't tell me about Jeremiah."

"And what would you have done? Tried to stop me?" A curt laugh slipped from Blaine's lips. "I thought I really liked him, Kurt. I just wanted to be happy."

"I want you to be happy too, Blaine."

"Oh really? You just want everyone to be happy, don't you?" Blaine asked bitterly. "Especially yourself."

Kurt was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Does Landrick still think he's your first kiss, Kurt? Does he know you don't need me for a tutor anymore?"

"Where the heck is that coming from? We weren't talking about Landrick, we were talking about you."

"We can't talk about me without talking about Landrick, Kurt. Don't you understand?"

"No, I really don't."

"Well let me spell it out for you, Kurt. We almost KISSED before Christmas and then you started dating him that same afternoon. For the past couple months, I've watch him treat you like SHIT, which frankly I'm tired of, and then you tell me you thought I was going to serenade you. You can't have it all, Kurt! You can't be with him and still expect me to wait around for you until you finally realize that I've been here all along!" Kurt's eyes were wide as he was painfully aware everyone in the Lima Bean was staring at him and Blaine. He had never heard Blaine raise his voice before and now there he was, practically shouting at him in the coffee shop. "So, Happy Valentine's Day, Kurt. I hope you and your ass of a boyfriend have a great time at dinner tonight. You two were clearly made for each other."

Blaine stormed off before Kurt even had a chance to respond. He wouldn't have known what to say, anyway.


	7. Don't You Want Me

Once Landrick realized Kurt and Blaine were fighting, he became more attentive to his boyfriend. Their relationship improved as Kurt and Blaine's friendship completely fizzled. The two friends were cordial at best during Warblers practice, but Kurt avoided spending the following weekend at the Berrys, even though they were supposed to have a sleepover. Landrick showered Kurt with flirty texts and handholding as much as possible throughout the halls of Dalton. He got joy out of Blaine practically running the other direction any time the sophomore saw him and Kurt walking his way. Blaine ended up spending a majority of his free time at Dalton studying in his hidden bathroom sanctuary because it was the only place he knew he wouldn't be forced to see the rapidly blossoming romance between Kurt and Landrick.

The next time Kurt stepped foot in the Berry household was when Rachel was coerced into throwing another huge party while her dads were out of town on business. Though Rachel and Blaine often had the house to themselves, this was the second time the whole of the McKinley glee club got wind of the lack of adult supervision at the Berrys. So, Saturday night, the New Directions, and Kurt and Landrick gathered in the Berry basement for what would eventually be known as the "Rachel Berry House Party Trainwreck Extravaganza."

"Kurt! Landrick! I didn't expect to see you…," Rachel told the boys as she took their coats before they walked down into the basement.

"Mercedes invited us, I hope that's okay," Kurt replied as he allowed Landrick to grasp his hand mid-trek down the steps.

"Of course! I'll let Blaine know you're here," Rachel said off-hand as she threw their coats onto a pile that had already started.

Landrick let out a laugh. "Don't even bother! Those two haven't spoken in weeks."

Before Rachel could respond, Kurt looked at her and quickly shook his head, indicating she needed to keep her mouth shut and he would talk with her about it later.

Blaine was up in his room with his headphones on, composing music. He could hear the loud thump of bass even though he was two flights up from the party, but tried to focus on his work. Rachel told him earlier he could come join them if he wanted to, but he wasn't really great friends with anyone in the New Directions and didn't feel like being awkward around a bunch of people who were likely going to be drunk. It was one thing to get wasted around his Dalton friends and the Warblers, it was another to be surrounded by an entire rival show choir and friends of his sister.

A couple hours into the party, Blaine's stomach started growling. He cursed himself for not brining a supply of food up to his room before Rachel's guests arrived. Luckily, the music was so loud, no one would probably hear him come down from his room and get food from the kitchen pantry. He prayed his sister picked him up more Pop Tarts when she went to the store earlier in the day.

Blaine was digging around in the fridge for a bottle of water when he heard someone clear their throat. He froze, knowing whom the likely source was. When a crystal clear high-pitched voice asked, "May I please have a can of Diet Coke?," Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he reached on the top shelf and grabbed a soda. Once the fridge door closed, Blaine silently held out the can in Kurt's general direction. Kurt stepped forward and gently took the soda from the other boy. "Thank you."

Saying nothing in return, Blaine clenched his teeth and started to turn on his heels when Kurt reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked down at the hand that was now holding him in place and then up at Kurt's face. "Please let me go." Blaine's voice was low and thick with emotion, as if he weren't just talking about their present situation.

"Blaine…," Kurt pleaded as he released the younger boy from his grasp. "Talk to me."

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you at the Lima Bean the other week, but I'm not going to apologize for what I said because I refuse to be sorry for how I feel. You get back to your boyfriend, and I'll get back to my music. Goodbye, Kurt." Blaine turned and started walking toward the doorway when the intro to "Don't You Want Me" started emanating up from the basement and Landrick started singing. Blaine's eyes grew wide as he looked at Kurt, who just shook his head.

"Landrick's drunk. Like, really drunk… and he's been singing duets with your sister. I can't be down there anymore," Kurt explained. "At least not right now."

"Kurt -"

"- Look, I'm not expecting you to keep me entertained. I just hoped we could talk. I wanted to apologize. To you." Kurt looked at Blaine with pleading eyes. "Please?"

Rachel's voice took over the song downstairs as Blaine and Kurt continued their standoff in the kitchen.

Blaine opened his mouth to say something when Landrick came stumbling up the basement steps. "Kuuuuuuurt. KUUUUUUUURRRT!" He glanced around the kitchen and saw his boyfriend. "Oh, there you are! Kurt, we're going to play spin the bottle, Kurt. And I want to spin it and kiss you because I love kissing you and I don't get to kiss you enough. I want to kiss you alllllll over." Both Kurt and Blaine's eyebrows shot up and their cheeks flushed at Landrick's confession. Landrick grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him toward the stairs, then yelled back up at Blaine. "Come on, Blanderson! We'll find someone to kiss you too."

"No thank you," Blaine muttered as he raced back up to his room.

"Boo you whore!," Landrick shouted when he realized Blaine didn't follow him and Kurt down the steps.

Once back up in his room, Blaine realized he never grabbed any food while he was down in the kitchen. Torn between going back downstairs right away and waiting for later, Blaine opted to try to finish the composition he was working on before he rewarded himself with a snack.

He donned his headphones once again and tapped his fingers over the keys of his keyboard, air-playing what he had written so far before pressing down on the keys to sound out the last few bars he composed. The song was melancholy and matched the frown Blaine couldn't wipe from his face.

…

"Oh my god, how many times do I have to apologize?" At the sound of Landrick's voice, Blaine looked up from the sheet music in his hand to see Landrick following Kurt into the Warblers practice room. Kurt looked pissed and Landrick looked desperate.

Kurt threw his satchel onto the couch and wouldn't look at his boyfriend as he responded, "At least one more time."

"I'm sorry, okay? I was drunk. It was spin the bottle. People kiss people."

Kurt grabbed Landrick by the arm and yanked him down onto the couch. Though he spoke softly, Blaine could still hear what he said. "Yes, people kiss people during spin the bottle. You, on the other hand, made out with Rachel Berry the rest of the night."

Blaine wished he had the power to unhear things, though now it made complete sense why his sister was acting weird the rest of the weekend.

Landrick took his boyfriend by the hand and rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. "Kurt, I'm sorry. Please let me make it up to you," he begged. "Look, how about you can kiss whoever you want? Then we'd be even."

Kurt yanked his hand out of Landrick's as fast as he could. "God, Landrick! It's not about getting even. It's about you making out with someone else for a whole night and then making excuses for it." He leapt up off the couch and grabbed his bag before looking around the room for a new seat. There was an empty space next to Blaine, but the two of them were still at odds, so that option was out. It suddenly dawn on Kurt that he wasn't really friends with any of the other Warblers. He was friends with Blaine and was dating Landrick, but other than that, he hadn't taken the time to get to know any of his peers. He never went to any Warbler functions, always choosing to hang out with the New Directions. Embarrassed, Kurt walked over to the windowsill and made camp there for the duration of rehearsal.

Throughout practice, Blaine kept an eye on Kurt and could tell the other boy was miserable. While a small part of him felt pleased that Kurt and Landrick were in a disagreement, Blaine mostly felt bad for his friend. When the Warblers Council announced that Blaine and Kurt would duet on their next trial song for Regionals, Blaine decided that he would try and bury the hatchet with Kurt and try to salvage their friendship. He missed his best friend and being forced to duet with him was the perfect opportunity to make amends.

After practice and all the other Warblers filed out of the room, Blaine approached Kurt with a cautious, "Hey."

Kurt looked up from shoving his new sheet music into his satchel, "Hey yourself. Looks like we have to sing together."

"Looks like it. To be honest, I'm actually kinda glad," Blaine admitted.

With a snort and raised eyebrows, Kurt asked, "Why?"

"Because that means I get to rehearse with my friend. My best friend?"

Kurt stopped trying to force the music into his bag then looked up to find Blaine staring at him. "Blaine…"

"Look, Kurt, I know we still have some stuff to work out, but I want to accept your apology. I do," Blaine said earnestly.

Kurt shook his head, but was smiling. "You don't even know what I was apologizing for the other day, do you?"

A crooked grin crept across Blaine's face when he realized Kurt was right. "Ha. No, I guess I not. But you'll tell me. And I'll still accept it. Because that's what friends do. I'm tired of us fighting."

"Would it be okay if I hugged you right now?," Kurt asked.

"You sound like my sister," Blaine replied as he held open his arms. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's back and the younger boy reciprocated. Things weren't perfect between the two of them, but they were willing to work it out. "Speaking of my sister, Landrick made out with her? Gross."

Kurt groaned into Blaine's neck, "Oh god, you heard that?"

"I wish I didn't."

They were going to be okay... Eventually.


	8. Animal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some epic awkwardness... 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Kurt was more than happy to rehearse "Animal" with Blaine now that the two of them were on speaking terms. They took and afternoon and talked everything out and Kurt finally told Blaine the details about how Landrick asked him out after their near-kiss. Landrick still didn't know Kurt's real first kiss, and Blaine still didn't think that was fair to Landrick, but it was Kurt's decision, not his. They still weren't completely back to where they once were, but they were laughing again and spending time with each other felt more like home everyday.

Things with Landrick got better too. While Kurt was still not thrilled that his boyfriend made out with Rachel, Kurt was reassured that it would not happen again because Landrick swore he was 100% gay and that he promised he would never, ever drink and play spin the bottle.

Walking into Warblers practice the following week, Kurt felt ready to show his peers what he and Blaine had worked on. However, his mood shifted dramatically when it was suggested that they up the sexy factor on the number because someone read online that the Regionals judges were giving extra points for sex appeal. While practically everyone else in the room hooted and hollered at the suggestion, Kurt had an internal panic attack. A quick look around the room led him to believe that he was the only one who seemed to be mortified at the prospect of trying to act sexy.

At the end of rehearsal, the Warblers were told the next day they were to meet in the abandoned warehouse on Dalton's property. Though this sounded extremely sketchy to Kurt, he noticed none of the other boys were worried – in fact, they were giving each other High-5s. Blaine saw the confused look on Kurt's face and approached him as everyone else left.

"I saw you kinda freak out when Wes mentioned tomorrow's practice was at the warehouse. It's mostly used for storage, but it's where Dalton students hold… unsanctioned school dances," Blaine said.

Kurt looked at him with an even more confused look. "Unsanctioned?"

"Dalton guys. Crawford County Day Girls. Loud music. Lots of alcohol and hooking up." Kurt raised his eyebrows, wondering how Blaine knew all this. "I've never been. It's just what I've heard."

…

Blaine was right about the Crawford County Day Girls. It turned out the Warblers Council extended an invitation to the ladies at Dalton's sister school to come watch the rehearsal so the Warblers could get a handle on their sexy factor as they headed into Regionals.

Though Kurt and Blaine's duet was technically sound, it was painfully obvious that Kurt was trying to over compensate on his "sexy" dance moves and his performance was more comical than sensual. Blaine was going to ask Kurt in private about what happened, but before he could make his was over to his friend, he was cornered by two girls from Crawford.

"Um, hey ladies," Blaine started. "Is there something I can help you with?" Neither girl spoke, but instead looked each other in the eye before simultaneously handing Blaine slips of paper. Slowly, he reached up and took the papers only realizing they were phone numbers after they let go. He smiled guiltily. "Thank you. But, uh, I play for the other team." With his admission, the two girls rolled their eyes, turned on their heals and walked away, leaving Blaine alone like he was poisonous.

While Blaine was busy with the Crawford girls, Landrick got to Kurt first.

"Are you okay? You kept making weird faces during the whole song," Landrick commented.

Kurt stopped fixing his hair and stared up at his boyfriend. "Those weren't weird faces. Those were my sexy faces."

A laugh slipped out of Landrick's mouth, but he didn't even bother trying to stop it as he sat down next to Kurt. "It looked like you were having gas pains or something."

"Great," Kurt muttered. "How am I supposed to get up on the stage at Regionals and sell sexy to the judges when I have as much sexual appeal and knowledge as a baby penguin?" His cheeks burned bright red when he realized he just said "sexual appeal" out loud to his boyfriend. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed about such things, but he couldn't help it. Sex was by far one of his least favorite topics and it was killing him that it seemed to be at the forefront of conversation for their Regionals performance.

Landrick slid an arm around Kurt's shoulders. "Relax, sweetheart. We'll think of something."

Kurt's eyes grew wide at his boyfriend's remark just as Blaine walked over toward the boys.

"You guys ready?" Blaine asked. "Wes asked me to lock the place up once everyone was gone."

"We're ready," Landrick told Blaine before turning to look into Kurt's eyes. "We're ready."

…

Kurt sat at his vanity, stomach in knots. His parents were out for a dinner date and his stepbrother was over at Noah's house playing video games, so he and Landrick had the house to themselves. Landrick was laying down on Kurt's bed, flipping through one of Kurt's issues of Vogue.

"You like that Top Model show, right?," Landrick asked. Not looking up from the magazine or even waiting for a response from Kurt, he kept talking. "So, why don't you try to do what they do? Like, practice in your mirror."

Shaking his head, Kurt muttered to himself, "I don't even know where to start."

"Come on, Kurt, you got this," Landrick said, finally tearing his eyes away from the copy of Vogue in his hands. "I'll help you." He crawled across the bed and took a seat next to Kurt on his vanity's bench. "All right, give me… sensual." As the said the word, Landrick's lips morphed into a pout and his eyes smoldered as they bore into the mirror. Kurt's mouth dropped in awe as the look came so easily for his boyfriend.

"Okay, um…" Kurt shifted his weight where he sat and he tried to mimic Landrick's pose. However, instead of pouty lips, his twisted into a snarl and his eyes didn't smolder, they seemed to spasm instead.

It took a lot of willpower, but Landrick managed not to laugh at the far from sensual look on Kurt's face. "Okay. How about we try another? Give me… sultry." Landrick turned toward the mirror and smized as he channeled his inner Tyra.

Once again Kurt tried to copy his boyfriend's movements, but failed spectacularly. With another snarl, Kurt gazed into the mirror as if he were going to rip it to shreds instead of make love to it. Landrick couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"Um, Kurt. All your facial expressions are kinda looking the same," he said with a chuckle.

Kurt slapped his hands against his thighs in frustration, "That's because the face I'm actually doing is uncomfortable. This is pointless, Landrick. I can't make sexy faces because I'm not sexy and I don't know how to be sexy."

Landrick snaked an arm around his boyfriends back and curled it around his waist. "Hey, hey, hey. You're sexy, trust me." He whispered the last two words into Kurt's ear before leaning in to kiss Kurt's jawline. Kurt squirmed at the contact and the compliment and wriggled out of his boyfriend's grasp. "Kuuuuuuuuuurt."

As he scooted over on the bench to put some room between them, Kurt shook his head. "I'm not – we're – nope." He shook his head some more, hoping that action would take the place of the words that he desperately needed to get out, but couldn't properly form on his lips.

"Kurt," Landrick said gently as he re-closed the gap on the bench between the two of them. "Kurt," he repeated as he placed a hand on Kurt's upper thigh.

Kurt bolted up off the vanity bench and shouted, "I'm not having sex with you!" His face turned beet red as he immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Whoa!" Landrick replied as his hands shot up in surrender.

Tears that had quickly built up started falling as Kurt shook his head, beyond upset. "I'm not ready. I know you think we are, but I'm not. And if you want to dump me, fine, but I'm not having sex with you, Landrick."

"I would never force you to do anything you weren't ready for, Kurt. And I'm not going to dump you because of this," Landrick explained as calmly as he could given their situation. "I'm going to go, okay? Call me when you're ready. To talk."

Landrick slowly got up from the bench and walked out of Kurt's room while Kurt stood there and watched, tears still streaming down his face.

…

Blaine not-so-secretly loved when he had the house to himself. His dads were out on a date and his sister was spending the night at Mercedes's house so they could sew costumes for some performance Rachel was doing with the Celibacy Club. (He didn't even bother asking what that was about because he figured it was better if he just didn't know.) He knew he should get his homework out of the way or work some more on his compositions, but he was in the mood to watch Chariots of Fire. He missed running and loved the score, but the rest of his family vetoed this film when it's his turn to choose on movie night because he'd forced them to watch it probably fifty times. Boys running in slow motion on the beach to one of the greatest scores of all time… how could anyone be against that?

Just as Blaine was settling himself onto the couch in the living room with two huge slices of pizza and a strawberry milkshake, he heard a knock. Grumbling to himself, he ran to the front door and whipped it open without bothering to check the peephole first. He was surprised to see Kurt on his porch.

"Oh! Hey Kurt… Rachel's not here." It was only then that Blaine realized Kurt's eyes were red and it looked like he had been crying. Kurt was also still wearing his Dalton sweater and tie, but didn't have a coat on even though it was the beginning of March. Blaine didn't see Kurt's Navigator, so that meant he must have walked. The Hudmels didn't live far from the Berrys, but it was a solid fifteen-minute trek. "Are you okay?" Kurt shook his head. "Do you want to come in?" At this question Kurt gave a small nod and stepped into the Berry household after Blaine stepped to the side and ushered him inside.

Blaine led Kurt to the living room and offered him a seat on the couch. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and handed it to Kurt. "I'll be right back, okay?" Blaine waited for Kurt to respond before sprinting down the hallway toward his dads' room. Knowing his own comfy clothes would likely not fit Kurt, Blaine thought one of his dads might have some yoga pants or something that would be more comfortable for Kurt than his Dalton uniform. He snagged some cashmere-soft flannel pants and a Harvard hoodie from the bottom drawer of Hiram's dresser before making his way back to the living room. Kurt hadn't moved or even unfolded the blanket. He did manage to look up at Blaine when he approached the couch. "Here," Blaine said softly as he held out the clothes. "Go put these on and then we can share my pizza. Okay?"

Kurt slowly stood up and took the clothes, "Thank you." After Kurt shut the bathroom door behind him, Blaine bolted to the kitchen and grabbed another plate. He cut Kurt two slices of pizza to match his own and hoped Kurt was okay with strawberry milkshakes as he poured his friend a glass. Blaine was carrying the food to the living room just as Kurt emerged from the bathroom, his Dalton uniform in hand.

"Perfect timing!" Blaine said with a little more enthusiasm than was probably necessary. He had no idea what was wrong with Kurt, but figured being as encouraging as possible was one of the few things he could do. "Why don't you set your Dalton stuff over on the table and then we can eat. I hope you're okay with non-vegan cheese pizza and strawberry milkshakes. Wow, I only just realized how much dairy that is…" Kurt giggled, causing Blaine to crack a smile.

The boys sat down and tucked into their meal together. Before long, there were just crumbs on both plates and the boys were lounging into their corners of the couch, working on the last few sips of their milkshakes. It was then when Kurt finally spoke up, though his words were rushed, "How much do you know about sex?"

Blaine's eyebrows shot up as he started choking on the milkshake that had just slid into his mouth. He put his cup down and bent over, wiping his mouth as he coughed several times. This was definitely not a conversation starter he ever thought he would hear coming from Kurt. "Shouldn't you be talking about that with your boyfriend? Or a health teacher?"

Kurt's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I thought this was something friends talked about? That's what all your sister's issues of Cosmo say."

"So talk to her about this!" Blaine countered, thoroughly mortified.

Kurt shook his head, "I can't. She wouldn't… get it. And I can't talk to Landrick about it because…"

Blaine was a thousand percent sure he was not comfortable talking to Kurt about him and his boyfriend's sex life, but Kurt looked so miserable that he had to be the bigger person. "Kurt, did something… happen between you and Landrick?" Kurt nodded and Blaine blanched, thinking the worst. "Did you at least use protection?"

It was Kurt's turn to overreact. "What?! Blaine, I've never had sex with Landrick!"

Blaine was relieved, but so confused. "But you just said something happened!"

"Yeah, we got in a fight because I'm not ready to have sex with him. And I'm mad that we have to se sexy for our performance at Regionals because I don't know the first thing about sex!" Kurt was almost yelling by this point.

"Kurt." Blaine's voice was calm and low, but not pitying.

"What?" the older boy asked bitterly.

"It's okay," replied in a tone as equally soothing as before. Blaine's cheeks were pink with embarrassment, but he was calm.

"No," Kurt said with disdain as he hung his head, "it's not. It's so embarrassing."

Blaine sighed, not quite believing he was going to ask what he was about to ask, but Kurt was his best friend and he was willing to put his own insecurities aside for the greater good. "Do you want to talk about it? I'll tell you everything I know, if you think that'll help. Or you can just ask me stuff and we can talk it over. I mean, I don't know much, but having gay dads… they kinda already… gave me the talk."

Kurt looked up at Blaine with wide eyes, surprised but grateful his friend was being so open, but scared at the prospect of what kind of information this could bring to light. "You'd do that for me?" Blaine nodded, cheeks stained a deep pink by now. "Blaine Anderson Berry, I don't deserve to have a friend like you."

Blaine smiled at the compliment, and couldn't believe he and Kurt were about to have the sex talk. "Can I ask you something first?" Kurt looked worried, but nodded. "Has anyone ever talked with you about sex?"

Kurt sighed as he fidgeted on the couch. "Um, my dad tried to talk to me about it after New Years when he, uh… when he found out I fell asleep in your bed." Blaine's eyes grew wide. "I told him nothing happened. I mean, you were there. Nothing happened. But he sat me down at the kitchen table and started talking about feelings. He said that once guys start having sex, they don't want to stop and that since I'm gay, sex will be easier to come by because it's two guys." Kurt played nervously with his fingers as he spoke. "God, I can't believe we're talking about this." Blaine silently waited for Kurt to continue, not wanting to interrupt for fear he wouldn't finish his thought. "He told me that when I'm ready, I should use sex as a way to connect to another person and that I shouldn't just throw myself around because I matter. And that was pretty much the end of that conversation."

Blaine nodded as Kurt finished talking. "Your dad is right, you know. You do matter. And I really respect you for knowing that you weren't ready yet. My dads gave me a similar speech awhile ago. They told me to wait until I was with someone I loved, so I promised them I would."

"So… you're a virgin too?," Kurt asked softly.

Blaine chuckled that Kurt even had to ask. "Yep…. To be honest, I've never even kissed anybody." Kurt's cheeks blushed as both boys recalled their near-kiss at Dalton. "So, see Kurt, you're leaps and bounds ahead of me," Blaine joked before he re-assumed a thoughtful guise. "Sex isn't a race, though. That's what my dads told me. Everyone should go at their own pace because everyone is different."

Kurt nodded at this, because it made sense to him. He knew he didn't love Landrick, so that was one of the reasons why he wanted to wait. But, confusion was another reason that made him say no. "I'm just scared sex is going to hurt. And that I'm going to be really bad at it. And the nakedness of it all."

"Well, it shouldn't hurt. There are things you and your partner can do and use to make it as… pleasurable as possible. And I'm pretty sure you won't be bad at it." Kurt blushed hard Blaine's matter-of-fact attitude, causing Blaine to grin. "What I mean is, even if it's not great the first time around, it can only get better, right? You'll figure out what you like and what you don't like. I think you're just over thinking the mechanics of it all. Sex is more than just sticking Tab A into Slot B and… thrusting around."

Kurt legitimately laughed. "Oh my god, I can't believe we're still talking about this!"

Blaine was laughing now too. "What? You're the one who brought it up! I was trying to be a good friend here. This is awkward for me too, you know!"

"I know," Kurt admitted. "Thank you." Blaine shook him off. "No seriously, Blaine. Thank you. You invited me in, gave me clothes and food and then made me feel better about something that terrifies me. I probably ruined the perfectly nice evening you had planned. So, thank you. You truly are the best friend I've ever had and I owe you big time."

"You don't owe me anything, Kurt," Blaine said. "This wasn't really the easiest thing for me to talk about either, but… I don't know. I'm sure you would have done the same for me if our roles were reversed. And, trust me, you didn't ruin my night. I was just going to watch a movie. If you want, we could watch it together? It's already in the DVD player."

"What movie?"

"Chariots of Fire."

Kurt's eyes lit up. "Oooooh! Cute British boys running in slow motion on the beach to that gorgeous piano music?!"

Blaine smiled. "That's the one." He dug the remote out of the couch cushion and pressed play. Kurt moved their plates out of the way and grabbed the blanket Blaine had tried to give him earlier. He spread it out over both of their legs and they situated themselves comfortably on the couch while the movie started.

"Hey Blaine?"

"Mmm?" Blaine looked over at Kurt and raised his eyebrows in question.

Kurt wanted to ask Blaine never to mention what they talked about to a single soul, but he quickly realized there was no need. That conversation would likely go with both of them to the grave. "Nevermind."He offered Blaine a small smile and was granted one in return. Kurt snuggled down a bit farther into the blanket, grateful to be where he was because it made him feel safe.

…

Hiram and Leroy got home from their date around 10:00pm and found their son using Kurt as a pillow on the couch, both sleeping as the Chariots of Fire DVD menu droned on in the background.

"Leroy, there appears to have been a raging party while we were gone. Your son and the Hummel boy have overdosed on dairy and overrated British cinema."

"Shush Hiram, and let those two be. Go call Burt and let him know his son's spending the night here."


	9. Misery

For some reason, Blaine was feeling extra confident about the Maroon 5 song the Warblers Council handed to him for that week's Regionals test-run. It was current. It was fresh. It was fun. Blaine worked hard on his solo and thought it went over amazingly during rehearsal that morning. Everyone was singing and dancing and having a great time. Everyone but Kurt, it seemed.

Blaine finished the final few notes of "Misery" while the other Warblers clapped him on the back and cheered. Even Landrick was feeling it, shouting "Hey Regionals, I think you just met our opening number!" and High-5ing Blaine.

Kurt picked up Pavarotti's cage and slowly walked toward his boyfriend and best friend, a discontent look on his face.

"So, what did you think of the song?" Blaine asked, looking to Kurt for positive feedback.

"Can I be really honest with you? Because it comes from a place of caring, but… been there done that," Kurt replied. "Look, you're amazing Blaine. Your solos are breathtaking." Blaine felt a hate coming on. "They're also numerous."

There it was.

Landrick couldn't cover his mouth fast enough to muffle the laugh that escaped his lips. This was the first time he ever saw Kurt say something critical or mean about Blaine and it was just too good to be true, even though Landrick thought Blaine actually killed his solo this week.

"Kurt, the Council decides who gets the solos," Blaine pointed out.

"I know," Kurt said as he turned his back to Blaine and began walking away. "I'm just tired of being your backup singer."

Landrick's jaw dropped and he kept looking back and forth between Blaine's stunned face and the back of his boyfriend's head. "Shit, son. You got served, Blanderson." He then ran after the boy with the bird. "Kurt! Wait up, babe!"

Blaine was left standing alone in the middle of the hallway, wondering why the person he cared about most was mad at him for something he had no control over.

…

Rachel came home from school to find her brother sitting at the kitchen island, staring into space. "Blaine?"

"Huh? What?" Blaine snapped out of his reverie and realized he wasn't the only person in the room anymore. "Oh, hey Rach. You scared me."

She raised her eyebrows and swung open the fridge to grab herself a V8. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed as he raked a hand through his still partially-gelled hair. "Well, no. I mean…" He sighed again. "The Warblers give me too many solos."

"Too many solos?" Rachel walked over to her brother and held the back of her free hand up to his forehead. "You don't feel feverish…"

Blaine swatted her hand away from his face, "Stop it!" He leaned his cheek down on the island. "It's just that Kurt said that my solos are numerous and he's right. I mean, they give me every solo. The Warblers are basically the Blaine Anderson Show. If I was everyone else, I'd hate me too."

Rachel sat down next to her brother and pat him on the shoulder, "No one hates you."

"I'm pretty sure Landrick does. And Kurt does too," Blaine pointed out.

"Well, that Landrick guy is an idiot. But Kurt does not hate you," Rachel said. "He's probably just mad he's still losing out on solos to a member of the Berry family. But really, other people should just know by now that we cannot be stopped."

"Rachel!"

"Blaine!," she teased in a matching tone that got her brother chuckling. "So, Kurt's still going out with Landrick?" Blaine sat up and rubbed his hands over his face as he nodded. "That's too bad. Kurt is too nice of a person to be going out with a creep like that."

"I know," Blaine said quietly.

Rachel hesitated for a moment, but asked the question that's been on her mind for awhile. "You still really like him, don't you?"

Blaine nodded slowly, "I just want to see him happy, Rachel."

"I know little brother," she said with a slight frown. "I know."

…

The next day, Kurt was late to Warblers practice. When he finally did show up, he was dressed all in black and obviously had been crying before he got there. Blaine feared the worst, thinking Kurt's father had another heart attack or something. It turned out Pavarotti died that morning; Kurt thought it was a stroke. Though he was just a bird, Kurt took his death rather hard and requested to sing a song in his honor at practice. Blaine was more than happy to get the attention off of himself for a change and he sat among the other Warblers while Kurt sang for the now deceased bird.

Kurt sang "Blackbird" and wept for his lost friend. Blaine watched Kurt walk about the room emoting, and it took massive amounts of energy to keep himself in his seat instead of rushing over to embrace Kurt. With each phrase Kurt sang, Blaine's heart swelled in agony, yearning to be the arms where his best friend would eventually seek comfort. He snuck a look over at Landrick during Kurt's tribute and was disgusted to find the senior playing Temple Run on his cell phone.

Blaine liked Kurt, but it was more than just the admission he made to his sister the night before. He didn't want to just see Kurt happy, he wanted it to be his job to make sure Kurt was happy. Blaine was no longer just content to be the best friend. He wanted to be Kurt's everything because Kurt was everything to him.

…

Before Warblers practice the following day, Blaine approached the Council with an idea. He convinced them that him having two solos at Regionals was a predictable move and put them at risk for losing against the New Directions. As a solution, he suggested that the first song they do be a duet that showcased another talented member of their ensemble.

"And whom, Warbler Blaine, do you suggest accompany you on this duet?" Wes asked.

Blaine cleared his throat, "Kurt Hummel. His performance of 'Blackbird' this week proves he has the emotional capacity to get through to an audience and win over the judges. I think Kurt is our best chance at winning at Regionals."

Wes, David and Thad looked at each other and conversed silently through meaningful eye contact.

"It's been decided," Wes said. "Warbler Kurt is an acceptable duet partner. This change to our Regionals set list will be announced at the start of rehearsal. We trust you to select your duet song by the end of the day today so we can begin harmonies and blocking tomorrow."

Blaine nodded and then bowed at the Council.

As the Warblers began filing into the rehearsal room, Blaine took a seat toward the back so he could sit quietly and observe the others while he thought about what song he and Kurt would sing. He had the perfect song in mind, the lyrics practically screaming what he had been feeling in his heart the whole night before while he tried (and failed) to sleep. The duet was just an excuse to spend more time with Kurt, but the Council and other Warblers didn't need to know that.

The Warblers put up less of a stink than Blaine thought when the Council announced the change in their Regionals plans. He asked that they didn't mention it was his idea; hoping the other boys would see this solo-turned-duet as something being taken away from Blaine (as opposed to what it really was; a selfish gift).

…

That afternoon, Blaine went into the study lounge for some coffee and ended up walking in on Kurt bedazzling something. Arts and crafts supplies were spread out all over a table and Kurt was concentrating deeply on gluing a sequin.

"Hey, what's that?" Blaine asked as he approached Kurt, eyeing the box on the table in front of him.

Kurt looked up and smiled, seeing it was Blaine. "Oh, hey. I'm decorating Pavarotti's casket. Landrick said it was a waste of time, but Pav meant a lot to me and I think he deserves to have a proper burial."

Half of a sad smile spread across Blaine's face. Kurt was so good and Landrick just wasn't. If there ever was an opening to share his feelings, this was it. "Well, when you're done, let me know so we can start practicing our duet for Regionals. Okay?" Blaine turned to leave, chickening out all of a sudden.

"Oh, what song did you pick?" Kurt asked, pulling out the chair next to him so Blaine would sit down.

"Um, 'Candles' by Hey Monday." Blaine reluctantly slid down into the seat. "Do you know it?"

Kurt nodded his head as he picked up another sequin to glue, "Wow. That's a really emotional song," he commented casually. "Why'd you pick that one?"

Being handed his second opening in just as many minutes, Blaine swallowed his nerves and knew he had to go for it. "Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you forever.'" At Blaine's words, Kurt stopped gluing and looked up at his friend who looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Are you okay, Blaine?" Kurt asked, concerned with where his friend's monologue was going.

Blaine shook his head but pressed on. "Watching you do 'Blackbird' this week was a moment for me, about you." He took a deep breath before bringing a hand up onto the table to rest on top of Kurt's. "Kurt, I had a crush on you in middle school. It was long before we became friends, long before I knew the real you. I had put you up on this pedestal and just idolized you. But this year, I got to know you and we became friends. Best friends. Except that crush is still there. Only it's not just a crush anymore; it's feelings. Real feelings." Kurt's eyes widened at Blaine's admission. "I hate that you're with Landrick. And it's not because I'm jealous, or not only because I'm jealous… but he doesn't treat you how you deserve to be treated." Blaine's heart was racing, but he kept going. "You deserve to be happy, Kurt. So happy. And loved. And adored. Because you are such a good person." Blaine chuckled, "I'm sitting here rambling and you're making something beautiful for a bird who probably didn't realize how lucky he was to spend the last few months of his life in your care." Blaine looked at Kurt through tears in his eyes. "You move me Kurt. And this duet is just an excuse to spend more time with you."

Kurt's eyes glassed up as well and the corners of his mouth started to twitch. That was a lot of new information his best friend just sprung on him and he wasn't quite sure how to take it all in. It appeared Blaine had feelings for him, which made his insides tingle because he had feelings for Blaine too.

Both their breathing speeds increased as Kurt watched Blaine slowly ease himself out of his seat and lean forward.

Kurt had time to stop the kiss before it started, but he let it happen. Blaine tilted his head and pressed his lips on Kurt's with a gentle pressure. Kurt's eyes snapped shut as he brought a hand up to cup Blaine's cheek to guide him through the kiss. Though chaste, the overwhelming feeling of warmth and elation rocked the boys to their cores.

Their lips moved together for a few bliss-filled seconds before Kurt abruptly pulled away. His hand dropped from Blaine's face and dragged down the front of his chest before hitting the table with an unceremonious thud.

Blaine sank back into his chair, heart and mind racing with the potential outcomes of what just happened. That was his first kiss. He just kissed his Kurt. Kurt just kissed him back. Kurt who already had a boyfriend.

"Blaine, I want to but I – I can't," Kurt whispered sadly. "Maybe we should just practice our song, okay?" A shaky nod was the most Blaine could offer without throwing up on the spot. "I'm so sorry, Blaine." Kurt's voice was laced with regret, though he was confused whether it was more because he kissed Blaine back knowing full well he shouldn't have, or because he wanted to keep kissing Blaine.

"It's okay," Blaine lied as he stumbled up and out of his chair. "We can practice tomorrow, yeah? I just have to – I have to… " he motioned toward the door as if that were a valid gesture in the moment. Kurt nodded in understanding even though he was equally clueless about what Blaine was referring to. Blaine gave him a sad smile as he headed for the door. "Um, we can just pretend this didn't happen, okay? Okay." Blaine nodded to himself as he took a determined step away from Kurt.

"Blaine?" Kurt called out with a broken voice, stopping the other boy dead in his tracks, though he didn't turn around. "You're still my best friend, Blaine. This doesn't change that. Nothing could change that."

Tears streamed down Blaine's cheeks as he nodded where he stood. He couldn't bring himself to look back at Kurt as he bolted out the door and toward his hidden bathroom.

…

When Rachel was on the way to bed that night, she thought she heard crying. "Blaine?" she asked as she knocked on his door. "I'm coming in, so you better have pants on."

Upon opening the door to her brother's room, Rachel's heart sank. Her little brother was leaning against his headboard surrounded by mountains of used Kleenex. His eyes were as red as his nose and he looked like he had been through the emotional wringer and back.

Rachel crossed over to Blaine's bed and cleared a spot next to her brother so she could sit down. After settling herself against the headboard, she leaned her head against Blaine's shoulder and wrapped an arm around his torso. "I'm here to listen if you need to talk."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Blaine finally spoke up. His voice was quiet and sad, "I told Kurt how I felt about him today." Rachel nodded her head, keeping her word to listen. "I kissed him and he - he kissed me back." Rachel's breath hitched as she felt Blaine tense up underneath her arm. "And then he told me he wanted to, but he couldn't and he was sorry." More tears fell from Blaine's eyes and dropped onto his sister's arm below. "I was dumb to think things would be different after I told him. Why can't I learn that I don't get to be happy?"

Rachel hugged her brother and cried silent tears along with him. "That's not true, Blaine. You'll get to be happy. I promise you, you will get to be happy. Okay?"

…

Backstage at Regionals, Blaine found a quiet corner to be by himself before the Warblers were supposed to be out on stage. His week had only gotten worse, having to spend one-on-one time with Kurt to rehearse. Blaine wanted to kick himself for ever thinking singing a duet with Kurt was a good idea. Though their voices sounded amazing together and Blaine was glad Kurt was getting the opportunity to shine in front of a competition crowd, Blaine couldn't wait for the performance was over so he wouldn't have to constantly be reminded of how his heart was broken and Kurt was still with Landrick.

From his corner, Blaine could see Kurt pacing, his face fraught with nerves. Even though he himself felt miserable, a large part of Blaine wanted to cross over to Kurt and comfort him; tell him there was no need to be nervous and that he was going to do amazing. But Blaine stayed in the shadows, selfishly wallowing in his own misery and replaying their kiss in his mind over and over again. It started out so hopeful, but then Kurt pulled away. It didn't get any less humiliating any time Blaine thought about it.

Landrick showed up and wrapped his boyfriend into a bear hug. "I think it's so adorable that you're so nervous about this. You're going to kill it, Kurt. Obviously."

Blaine wasn't trying to listen in, nor did he particularly want to watch Landrick drape himself all over Kurt, but he couldn't help it. His feelings for Kurt weren't just going to magically go away so soon, even though Blaine prayed for it every night since their kiss.

Places were called and Blaine assumed his role as Warblers front man. The charade was exhausting, but Blaine was a consummate performer and no one except for Kurt had any idea that he had been on the verge of breaking down the whole week.

Their duet went off without a hitch. Though the lyrics hit dangerously too close to home for both boys, they were able to use their emotions to show the audience and judges a side of the Warblers that no one had ever seen before.

However, if one would have asked Kurt or Blaine if there were other people in the room while they were singing, their answer would have been "No." Blaine sang that song to Kurt and Kurt sang that song to Blaine and in those few minutes, there wasn't anyone else around. From her seat in the audience, Rachel could tell something was up. She had never seen her brother get lost like that in a performance, nor had she ever seen Kurt look at somebody else with that much vulnerability. Both boys left everything they had up on that stage because that was their only chance to express themselves in their mess of a situation. It wasn't until the applause kicked in that Blaine and Kurt realized they had just sung their feelings in front of a crowd. Embarrassed, they quickly took their bows and scrambled to their positions for the Warblers second song.

Blaine soloed on Pink's "Raise Your Glass," which turned out to be a huge crowd-pleaser. Everyone was up on their feet singing and dancing along; the jovial up-tempo number was about as opposite as one could get from the passionate duet of the prior song.

Once the Warblers set was over, they gathered in a large group hug before exiting the stage. Blaine and Kurt were shoved to the center of the affection and though they made a conscious effort not to touch each other, their eyes locked in a meaningful glance. Something was still there.

The New Directions then proceeded to shock everyone with their original songs. Not even Blaine was aware that his sister and her show choir were going that route. Though the songs were riddled with clichés, he was impressed that Rachel and her friends put those numbers together in such a short amount of time.

It almost was a relief for Blaine when it was announced that the New Directions, and not the Warblers, were the Regionals champions. It meant there would be a quiet bus ride back to Dalton. It meant he wouldn't have to prepare anything for Nationals. It meant he wouldn't have to listen to his sister complain about not going to Nationals since her choir actually won. Yes, Blaine would have loved to be part of a Nationally-ranked show choir, but he still had two years of high school to go. He would get his chance; he was just grateful he didn't have to deal with it right now.

Once the Warblers got back to school, Blaine grabbed his things and made a beeline toward his car. He shouted condolences to his friends as he hopped in his car and sped away.

Kurt and Landrick had made dinner reservations which were now going to be used to eat their feelings instead of celebrate a Warblers win. Before they left the school, Kurt asked his boyfriend if he wouldn't mind accompanying him while he finally buried Pavarotti.

Dalton's back courtyard had a beautiful tree that Kurt felt was the perfect final resting place for his bird. Kurt said a few words and with a shovel, piled cold, wet dirt on top of the beautifully bedazzled casket he designed earlier in the week. As Kurt stood up to survey his handiwork, he noticed Landrick staring off into space.

"Whatcha staring at, Landrick?"

"Oh! Nothing. You done yet?" the older boy asked, looking at his watch. "We need to get going if we're going to make our reservations." He held out his hand for Kurt to take and wiggled his fingers.

Kurt gave Landrick a half smile before linking their fingers together. He was mostly sad about the Warblers loss, but there was a part of him that felt something was off about walking hand-in-hand with his boyfriend. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he wished he were holding hands with Blaine. That kiss happened and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it the whole week. And then that song… they shouldn't have sung that song. He knew they shouldn't have sung that song, but at the same time it just felt right. Kurt's emotions were having a wrestling match among themselves. Blaine was his best friend, though he knew there could definitely be more to their relationship, if they just gave it a chance. But, Kurt was with Landrick, and Kurt liked Landrick. However, Landrick just wasn't Blaine.


	10. Somewhere Only We Know

Blaine was a good younger brother. He often found himself getting roped into doing things for his sister, or attending functions where he'd rather not be. She exploited his lack of social calendar, but because he was genuinely a good person, he went along with it because it was easier to do what she wanted and to keep the peace than to defy Rachel's wishes and have to listen to her complain about it for the next hundred years.

This is how Blaine found himself walking alone throughout the halls of McKinley on a Friday night in March. The New Directions were holding a benefit concert to help raise money for their trip to New York for Nationals, but no one showed up. After answering a frantic text from his sister, Blaine sent out a mass invite to the Warblers and encouraged them to bring friends and family to the New Directions concert. No one had shown up yet, but he had a few "I'll be there soon" texts from some of the guys, so all hope was not lost.

"I never thought I'd be invited to a McKinley event by a Warbler," Blaine heard someone say behind him. He turned to find Kurt walking toward him. "I'm guessing Rachel made you do it."

Blaine gave a crooked smile as he shrugged. This was the first time he had been alone with Kurt since their awkward duet rehearsals after their kiss and he was starting to feel self-concious.

Kurt could see Blaine start to turn in on himself and it made him move more quickly toward his friend and take him by the shoulders. "Please don't cut me off, Blaine. I know I don't deserve to ask something like that, not after the way I've been handling everything… but please don't cut me off. I miss you so much." Blaine managed to look up and make eye contact with Kurt. For as much pain and confusion as he was feeling inside, he saw the same turmoil behind Kurt's eyes. They didn't sparkle like Blaine knew they could.

It was all too much, though. Blaine's shoulders dropped in defeat and he fell forward into Kurt's chest as the taller boy wrapped him in a hug. "God, I miss you too, but I can't do this anymore, Kurt. It hurts too much to be near you and not be with you. I want you to be happy, but I have to look out for myself because nobody else will. So," Blaine peeled himself away from Kurt's arms. "I'm going to work really hard to be able to just be friends with you again, but for now I need some space. Goodbye."

Blaine backed away from Kurt, nodding as if he was trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. Kurt could see the tears running down Blaine's cheeks, but there was no way to stop them because Kurt had tears running down his face too.

To no one's surprise, the benefit concert was a bust.

…

Kurt was morose and no one seemed to be able to lift him from his funk. He didn't have Nationals to look forward to. His best friend wasn't talking to him anymore. His boyfriend was a annoying him a little bit lately. Kurt didn't get it; he had so much going for him, yet everything just felt so Blah. He wanted change and he wanted it fast.

Lucky for Kurt, an opportunity arose and he was quick to take it. His former bully had a sudden change of heart and was coerced into apologizing to him. With bullies no longer a threat to Kurt's well-being, Kurt was given the option of finishing the rest of his junior year at Dalton or going back to McKinley. The decision was obvious – his friends were at McKinley. He could go to Nationals if he was at McKinley. He could wear his clothes instead of the ill-fitting Dalton uniform if he was at McKinley. He could save his parents a fortune in tuition if he were back at McKinley. Kurt would return to McKinley by the end of the week.

Blaine was overjoyed when he accidentally overheard his sister and Kurt's phone conversation and found out Kurt wouldn't be staying at Dalton any longer. He decided was grateful he wouldn't have to see Kurt everyday and be reminded of his unrequited feelings for the other boy. But, he was even happier for Kurt. Dalton was a safe school and worked for Blaine, but he saw how much it broke Kurt's spirit and quashed his individuality. It was going to be good for Kurt to be back where he belonged.

Kurt's last day with the Warblers was weird. He had only been with the group for a few months, but he had made a permanent dent in their work ethic and his presence would be sorely missed. The Warblers Council presented Kurt with a plaque and showered him with praise. Blaine watched quietly as Kurt tried to humbly accept the positive words. He knew Kurt never really made friends with the other guys in the group, so it must be awkward for him to have everyone say how much they'll miss him when they never really took the time to get to know him in the first place.

After Warblers practice, Blaine approached the Council with an idea to serenade the soon to be ex-Warbler at McKinley the following day as a send off back to the New Directions. He suggested they sing "Somewhere Only We Know" because it was one of their Regionals options and was still fresh in the minds of the Warblers. Silent conversation among the Council Members led to unanimous agreement. Blaine left the rehearsal room and knew he needed to collect himself. He sprinted toward his bathroom, unaware that someone was following him.

…

The next day, the Warblers boarded their bus to drive to McKinley. Blaine was nervous about the performance because the song used to be a private joke between he and Kurt and Kurt would probably figure out who suggested they sing it.

"Yo, Blanderson!" Landrick shouted as he slid into the seat next to Blaine. "Rumor has it you were the one who suggested we go sing to Kurt. I should have known since you've had your eyes on him since he showed up at Dalton."

"Leave me alone, Landrick," Blaine muttered as he shifted around in his seat.

"Or what? You'll steal my boyfriend? Like he'd even want you."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Why are you even talking to me? I know you don't like me and I don't like you either. You treat Kurt like shit and I would really rather you just leave me alone."

"How I treat Kurt is none of your business, Berry, so just back off," Landrick fumed.

"I'm not scared of you, you know. Please go away, Landrick."

"Oh sure. I'll go away. But first I think I have a little announcement for the bus." Landrick stood up to address all the Warblers. "Hey guys. I think there's something you should know about our beloved front man Blaine Anderson."

Blaine knew where this was going and didn't want to give Landrick the satisfaction, so he bolted out of his chair and said, "God, Landrick. Grow up." He then turned to face the rest of the boys on the bus. "Hey Warblers. What Landrick is trying to tell you is that my name isn't Blaine Anderson, it's Blaine Anderson Berry. Rachel Berry is my sister, Yes, Rachel Berry of the New Directions, whom we are signing for this afternoon. Go ahead and make fun of me if you want, I don't care." That last part of that last sentence was aimed directly in Landrick's face before Blaine slouched back down in his chair. There. His secret was out. It wasn't much of a secret anyway and it didn't change anything except the fact that Landrick couldn't hang it over his head anymore.

After a brief moment of silence while the guys processed this new information about Blaine, the Warblers went back to talking among themselves. Landrick was pissed that his plan had failed and Blaine was secretly relieved that no one cared.

The Warblers Council had been in contact with Mercedes and Rachel, so they knew to have Kurt in place in the courtyard just after noon.

When it was time, the Warblers walked out and Kurt was shocked when he turned around just in time to see Blaine (flanked by Wes and David) lead the group to the middle of the courtyard stairs.

"Kurt, you were a great addition to the Warblers and you made us a better team," Blaine said. "We're sad to see you go, but we all know going back to McKinley was something you really wanted. We'll miss you, so we wanted to say goodbye."

"And thank you, Kurt" added Wes.

Kurt, the whole of the New Directions and every other McKinley student who was out in the courtyard during that lunch period were treated to an a cappella version of "Somewhere Only We Know." As soon as Kurt figured out what song it was, he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It was really sweet for the Warblers to sing him off like that, but throughout the song, he locked eyes with Blaine and it kept a lot of willpower to keep from bursting out into a fit of giggles and tears. He knew Blaine must have picked that song on purpose because it was their song. Kurt use to tease him every time they sang "So tell me when you're gonna let me in" because it took weeks for Blaine to open up to him, even after they became best friends.

Blaine poured everything he had into this performance, and that made Kurt's heart hurt because he knew he blew it with Blaine. Though as much as he cared about Blaine, he was with Landrick. And while Landrick wasn't Blaine, he also wasn't a horrible person either. Landrick was the first person who ever pursued Kurt; the first person who made him feel attractive; the first person who made him feel wanted. Kurt couldn't just throw their relationship away even if he had feelings for Blaine.

When the Warblers were finally done singing, everyone in the courtyard applauded. Kurt threw his arms around Landrick and kissed him on the cheek before the older boy had to head back to the bus. He then grabbed Blaine by the arm and dragged him off to the side.

"Hey!" Blaine said, before he realized who had grabbed him. "Oh, hey Kurt."

"Hey yourself," Kurt responded. "You picked that song, didn't you?" His tone was borderline accusatory because he was too worked up and feared he would do something stupid like kiss Blaine if he let his true feelings show. It was easier just to get angry. Blaine looked at the ground, knowing he was caught as the one who suggested the song. "Why'd you pick that song, Blaine?"

"Please don't make me say it, Kurt," Blaine said as he shook his head. "Please don't make me say how much I miss you, Kurt, because I do. Okay? I miss you so much that it hurts. So just, please be careful here." Some tears found their way out of the corner of Blaine's eyes and spilled onto the ground below before he bolted off to catch up to the Warblers.

"I miss you too, Blaine," Kurt mumbled to no on in particular.

Rachel Berry heard their whole exchange and wondered not for the first time why her best friend and her brother didn't just get together already.


	11. Dancing Queen

Kurt settled back into life at McKinley easier than he initially thought. He was grateful to have full use of his wardrobe again and to be in the same classes as his friends. He found the only thing he was missing from Dalton was seeing Blaine everyday. Even though they hadn't been talking much lately, Blaine's presence was a comforting part of Kurt's day. He knew he didn't have to miss the other boy so much if he would just apologize and make amends; but it was easier to miss Blaine than to deal with the realities of it all. Kurt liked Blaine just as much as Blaine liked Kurt, but then there was Landrick… Kurt liked Landrick too, which was convenient since they were going out.

Junior prom was quickly approaching and Kurt was excited to ask his boyfriend. This was the first school dance Kurt was actually looking forward to going to. He hadn't been threatened by any school bullies lately and he finally had someone to go with.

It was weird not seeing Landrick everyday at school, but it allowed them to go out on dates and enjoy the limited time they saw each other during the week. Kurt invited Landrick to Breadstix to make his prom proposal a memorable occasion.

They enjoyed their pasta and chatted about nothing in particular. Kurt was smiling and realized he felt happier in that moment than he had in awhile. His funk was gone, and though he still wished he could work things out with Blaine, everything was looking up now that he was back at McKinley. He was so giddy about prom, he didn't notice the disinterested look Landrick had on his face for most of the night.

"Landrick, may I have your hand please?" Kurt asked with a smile dancing across his face.

With a less than enthusiastic look on his face, Landrick slid a hand into Kurt's.

"Sooooo…" Kurt started.

"… I think we should break up," Landrick finished.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "What?!" He yanked his hand away from Landrick's.

Landrick just shrugged. "I don't really want to go out with you anymore. It's just too much effort for something that wasn't really working. Like, you're not at Dalton, and I think this has run its course."

Kurt's jaw dropped. He knew it wasn't easy to date someone at a different school, but he didn't think that he and Landrick had hit any sort of rough patch recently. This all seemed very out of the blue. "But…"

"What were you going to say?" Landrick asked as he checked his phone for the time. "Earlier?"

Mouth still hanging open, Kurt shook his head. "I was going to ask you to my junior prom."

Landrick smiled at the mention of the dance. "Aw, I remember my junior prom. My boyfriend and I had so much fun."

"Well, wasn't that nice for you and your boyfriend?" Kurt scrambled out of his side of the booth and grabbed his jacket. "Goodbye, Landrick."

…

"I can't believe he did that," Rachel said as she passed Kurt the bowl of popcorn. "He's an idiot, Kurt. He didn't deserve you to begin with."

"Thanks, Rach," Kurt mumbled as he shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth. "But you saying that is not helping." He chewed and shook his head. "I can't believe I got dumped two weeks before prom. And I didn't even see it coming. I'm that person."

"Kurt…"

"You didn't tell your brother yet, did you?" Kurt looked over at the wall that connected Rachel and Blaine's bedrooms. Blaine was over at Nick's to watch a movie, so there was no risk of Kurt running into him at the Berry house that night.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "No. I promised I wouldn't say anything to him… but you should tell him, you know."

"Why? So he can rub it in my face and tell me 'I told you so?'" Kurt shoved more popcorn in his mouth, ashamed that he was taking his anger out on Blaine who wasn't even there to defend himself.

"You know he would never do that," Rachel said gently as she rubbed his arm.

Kurt frowned, "I know." He sighed. "What I am going to do, Rachel? My boyfriend dumped me and my best friend – well, my best friend besides you – isn't talking to me."

Rachel shifted around until she was kneeling in front of Kurt. She took both his hands in hers and looked him square in the eye. "Kurt Hummel, will you go to junior prom with me?"

Kurt chuckled and cracked a sad half smile. "Rachel Berry, I would be honored to." She squealed and threw her arms around his shoulders and gave him a bug hug. "You're a great friend, you know."

"And you are going to get through this," Rachel whispered in Kurt's ear before she kissed him on the cheek.

…

The next morning, Blaine came home from spending the night at Nick's to find Kurt and his sister seated at the island in the kitchen. They were finishing up eating breakfast when Blaine walked in to get some juice. He saw how miserable Kurt looked, his eyes puffy and red, and tried to back out of the kitchen as quickly as he could.

"Oh! I'm sorry… let me just grab something to drink and I'll be outta your hair." Blaine made his was to the fridge and quickly yanked open the door to grab the carton of orange juice.

Out of his peripherals, Blaine saw Kurt and Rachel give each other significant looks while he was getting his juice.

"No need to rush, little brother," Rachel said loudly as she got up from her barstool. "I think maybe you should sit down and drink your juice in the kitchen."

Blaine looked confused as she grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him down onto the barstool she had just occupied. "Um, okay."

Rachel kissed her brother on top of his head, and then did the same to Kurt before she left the kitchen.

"Well that wasn't awkward," Kurt muttered to himself before looking up at Blaine. "Hey."

"Hey," Blaine replied quietly.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Kurt blurted out, "Landrick dumped me."

Blaine was not expecting to hear that and his eyebrows slid up in shock as he quickly tried to process the information Kurt just told him.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said quietly. And he was. He might not have liked Landrick, nor did he think Landrick deserved to be with Kurt, but he had made Kurt happy and that was the important thing. Yes, Blaine was relieved that Kurt and Landrick were no longer together, but he got no joy out of seeing his friend so sad.

Kurt narrowed his eyes and sized up Blaine, waiting for the other shoe to drop even though he knew it likely wouldn't. After a few moments, his own expression softened and he slumped over in his stool. "You are, aren't you?" He should have known that Blaine wasn't going to rub anything in his face because Blaine was his best friend and even though Kurt knew he hurt Blaine over the past few months, Blaine was still genuinely sorry for the demise of his relationship.

Instinctively, Blaine brought a hand to Kurt's back and started rubbing small circles. He wasn't usually a touchy-feely person, but this was something his dads would do for him when he was younger and the motion always settled him down and made him feel better. "I feel like I let you down, Kurt. I know this is much too little, too late, but I should have been more supportive of your relationship with Landrick. That was selfish of me... and I'm really, really sorry."

Kurt shook his head, "You don't have to apologize, Blaine." He involuntarily leaned into the back rub. "Ugh. Can we please just go back to being us again? I miss not seeing you at school and I can't stand us not talking."

"It's not that easy, Kurt," Blaine sighed softly. "To just go back to how things were." If Blaine were being honest with himself, he didn't want them to go back to how their friendship was before because he still wanted more. But, he knew it was too soon to talk with Kurt about feelings. However, he also knew he couldn't keep functioning without Kurt in his life. "But I miss you too and I promise that I will try to not shut you out anymore."

"Thank you."

...

The night of McKinley's prom seemed to sneak up on everyone. Kurt found himself in the Berry's living room, nervously waiting for Rachel. In lieu of a traditional tux, Kurt had fashioned himself a kilt inspired by the late Alexander McQueen. He looked the perfect blend of masculine and feminine, with not a hair out of place.

"I don't know how it could possibly take you longer than me to get ready, Rachel!" Kurt half-shouted, half-muttered to himself. He spun the corsage box around in his hand, killing time while Rachel finished getting ready.

He was about to shout again when he heard someone gasp, "You look amazing, Kurt."

Kurt looked up to find Blaine already in his pajamas, making his way to the staircase in the hallway. "Why thank you. You look... ready for bed or something."

Blaine looked down and eyed his Dalton hoodie. "Yeah, I was thinking of watching a movie and catching up on some sleep. Just another crazy Friday night in the Berry household…"

"You could have come with us, you know."

Blaine shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about his lack of enthusiasm and cover up the pain behind his eyes. "I'm just not much for school dances."

Kurt instantly recalled Blaine saying something about not dancing much after a middle school dance, but before he could bring it up, Rachel made her entrance and all attention was on her in her gorgeous pink prom dress.

"Oh my god, Rachel, you look stunning," Kurt mused as he leapt up off the couch and crossed over toward his friend. He threw his arms around her and they squealed giddily. "You look like a princess!"

"I know, right? I'm pretty!" Rachel took a step back from Kurt and spun around, making her dress billow out before it settled in elegant waves on the floor.

"You were always pretty Rachel. But tonight, you're breathtaking. I'm going to go grab your wrap, as you seemed to have forgotten it. Meet you by the door in five?" Kurt waited until she nodded before sprinting up the stairs to her room.

Blaine smiled as he walked over to his sister. "You look beautiful, Rachel," he told her as he gave her a hug. "Beautiful."

Rachel beamed. "I feel beautiful. I can't believe I'm going to my junior prom!"

Her smile was contagious and Blaine couldn't help but give her a grin. However, when he heard Kurt start to walk back down the steps, his eyebrows furrowed and he leaned in to give his sister another hug, though this one was more desperate. "Keep him safe, Rachel. Please keep him safe."

"Keep who safe?" Kurt said as he walked into the room to find Blaine holding onto his sister.

"Nothing. Just…" Blaine shook his head as he let go of his sister. He flashed her a pleading look as Kurt handed her her wrap. "Just… have fun, okay? Take lots of pictures." Blaine tried to give Kurt and Rachel and encouraging smile, but he was too overwrought with fear for Kurt. The last dance Blaine went to, he spent the next week in the hospital with some broken ribs and a concussion. He didn't want Kurt or his sister to suffer the same fate.

Once outside, Kurt opened the car door for Rachel before jogging around to the driver's side and hopping in himself. They both buckled up, but before Kurt pulled away from the curb, he turned to Rachel and asked, "Why was your brother acting all weird?"

Rachel frowned and sighed through her nose. "I shouldn't be the one telling you this."

"Rachel. Tell me, or we're not leaving."

"Fine." Rachel looked back at her house before turning back toward Kurt. "Blaine got beat up at a dance in middle school and he ended up in the hospital for a week. That's why our dads pulled him out of public school. He's acting weird because he's worried about you… He made me promise to keep you safe."

Kurt's jaw dropped. As much information as he managed to coax out of Blaine over their friendship, he had no idea the extent of his bullying experience. "Oh my god. How didn't I know that? I mean, I know he was bullied, but… why didn't he tell me?"

Rachel shrugged. "Blaine doesn't like people to know. I'm sure he would have told you eventually because you're important to him." Kurt's cheeks flushed as pink as Rachel's dress, which caused Rachel to smile. "I'm glad he's important to you too."

…

Kurt and Rachel held their breath when they arrived, hoping their presence would not cause a riff in the surprising calm that seemed to have settled over the dance. Couples were gripping each other and swaying to whatever Top 40 song was playing at the moment. The decorations were tacky and the punch was too sweet. It was so cliché that Rachel and Kurt couldn't help but grin at its perfection. They were at their junior prom and everything was going smoothly.

Until it wasn't.

Neither Kurt nor Rachel could have guessed that the announcement of Prom King and Queen would end up being the turning point of the night. Rachel wasn't nominated, but some of their friends from New Directions were, so they eagerly awaited the announcement of that year's prom royalty.

Kurt clapped politely when it was announced that David Karofsky was crowned Prom King. Karofsky had apologized to him multiple times over the past few weeks and though Kurt was nowhere near ready to forgive him for months of torment and stealing his first kiss, Kurt was grateful that the other boy seemed to have stopped picking on Kurt and was no longer a threat to his well-being.

After Karofsky was crowned, Principal Figgins returned to the microphone and announced that the Prom Queen winner was a write-in vote. As everyone in the room looked around to see if they could guess who the new Prom Queen was, Kurt was mortified to hear his name read aloud over the PA system.

As his peers slowly began to laugh and clap, Kurt turned where he stood and bolted out of the gym and down the hall. He heard Rachel yelling his name as she ran after him, but he didn't slow down until he got to the end of the hallway. When he could run no further, Kurt's legs gave out from under him and he slid to the floor, body wrecked with sobs and humiliation.

"Kurt!" Rachel shouted as she limped down the hallway. She had taken off one of her shoes and was trying to wrestle the other one off as she chased her friend. "Kurt!"

Kurt's head was buried between his knees as he continued crying. "I'm so stupid. I thought that everything was fine since no one was making fun of me or beating me up, but I'm just one big anonymous practical joke." He looked up at Rachel, eyes red and tears falling with no sign of stopping. "Everyone hates me."

Rachel shook her head. "No. No, Kurt. There are people who love you, I promise you. Please don't let those assholes ruin your night. They're just jealous."

"Ha," Kurt laughed sarcastically through his tears. "Nobody is jealous of me." He wiped his nose on his jacket sleeve, not even caring about his clothes by that point. "I can't go back in there."

"No one is making you, Kurt. We can stay here the rest of the night, if you want."

Kurt dropped his head back down between his knees and tried to steady out his breathing. Rachel looked over at how miserable her friend looked and snuck her phone out of her clutch. She put it on silent and texted a quick message to her brother.

"Come to McKinley asap – Kurt needs you. Please."

…

Blaine was tucked in bed in the middle of watching Singin' in the Rain when his phone buzzed. Without looking, he thrust his hand onto his nightstand and grabbed his phone. He read the message from his sister and then bolted out of bed. He looked down at his pajamas and then frantically around the room, trying to figure out what to put on before he left. His Dalton uniform was draped over his chair, so he pulled off his pajama pants and hopped into his gray slacks from earlier in the day.

Within minutes, Blaine was dressed in his blazer and running toward his car. He texted his sister to see if Kurt was hurt, and was relieved to find out that he was physically okay. Rachel indicated that Kurt got voted Prom Queen and she needed help.

During the five-minute drive to McKinley, Blaine's mind raced, wondering how Kurt could have been voted Prom Queen. He then remembered that Kurt was wearing a kilt and felt extra bad that his best friend was humiliated and how people probably felt justified voting him Queen since he was wearing what looked like girl's clothes.

Blaine pulled into the student lot of McKinley and quickly put his car in park. He ran across the parking lot toward the hallway near the gym because that's where his sister said she and Kurt were. The door was locked from the outside, so Blaine frantically knocked to get his sister's attention.

Rachel quickly got up from her seat on the floor next to Kurt and ran over to the door to let her brother in. She gave him a huge hug when he stepped inside the building. "Thank you for coming! I didn't know who else to text."

Blaine gave his sister and small smile and then looked over at Kurt, who had since looked up and saw his best friend was there.

"Blaine!" Kurt said in surprise, quickly trying to wipe away the last of his tears and straighten his hair so as not to look like his life was falling apart. "What are you – why are you – I… Oh, Blaine."

Blaine slid down onto the floor next to Kurt. "Hey."

"Hey," Kurt said through tears. Blaine set his hand on the floor in between them with his palm facing up. Kurt looked down at Blaine's hand and then put his hand on Blaine's and threaded their fingers together. "Thank you for being here."

Rachel watched the two boys as they sat in silence. Their fingers shifted subtly, as if they needed the motion as a constant reminder that the other boy was actually there.

Within a few minutes, Kurt's breathing slowed down and the tears stopped. He looked over at Blaine who offered him a smile, then up at Rachel. After taking a deep breath, he declared, "I'm going back in there, and I'm getting coronated. I'm going to show them that even though they whisper behind my back or vote for me for Prom Queen, they can't touch me."

Blaine and Rachel couldn't help but grin at their friend. They were so proud of Kurt for being so brave when faced with such adversity.

Kurt and Blaine got up from their spots on the floor. Kurt walked determinedly back toward the gym doors while Blaine held out his arm for his sister. Smiling, she looped her arm through his elbow and the Berry siblings followed Kurt.

Once in the gym, Kurt made his way through the crowd and practically skipped onto the stage. Though Blaine and Rachel knew he was nervous, Kurt assumed a confident façade and strode up to the microphone. As Principal Figgins crowned Kurt prom queen, Kurt leaned into the microphone and mused, "Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton." Someone guffawed and suddenly more people were laughing and a smattering of applause grew into a thunderous roar. Blaine's heart swelled to hear everyone's sudden support for Kurt. He was in awe how Kurt was able to spin such a truly horrifying moment into something that celebrated his uniqueness.

However, Blaine's pride in his friend quickly turned to fear when Principal Figgins announced that it was time for the traditional Prom King and Queen dance. Kurt's eyebrows shot up underneath the bottom of his crown as he was shoved toward the dance floor with Dave Karofsky. Blaine knew this was the same Karofsky who kissed Kurt. The same Karofsky who was in the closet because he was too scared to come out. The same Karofsky who made Kurt's life a living hell.

From the stage, the band started playing ABBA's "Dancing Queen," and Mercedes was handed a microphone. Though she had a concerned look on her face as she watched her friend stand in the center of the floor with his biggest bully, somehow she managed to start singing on cue.

From his spot across the gym, Blaine could see Kurt and Karofsky talking quietly between each other. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could see Karofsky's back tense up before he slowly turned and walked away from Kurt. Blaine watched Kurt's body shudder and saw the boy look around, as if he were lost.

Before Blaine realized what he was doing, he started walking toward Kurt. He heard his sister shout his name, but his eyes were locked on the other boy, who desperately needed to be found.

Kurt's back was to Blaine by time he was within a few feet of him. Not wanting to just reach out and scare Kurt, Blaine cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me?" Kurt spun around and saw Blaine standing nervously behind him with a hand extended out. "Um, may I have this dance?"

A wave of relief washed over Kurt as he broke into a grateful grin. "Yes. Yes you may." He took Blaine's proffered hand and wrapped the other around Blaine's shoulder. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand tightly before sliding his other around Kurt's waist and gently holding him as they began to sway to the music.

Blaine's eyes were locked firmly on Kurt's face as they danced in a small circle. Kurt was looking around the gym, eyes wide as they scanned the crowd. After seeing Rachel grinning like an idiot, Kurt's shoulders relaxed and he was able to bring himself to focus on the boy whose arms he was in. Blaine let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in as Kurt leaned in and whispered "Thank you" into his ear. Blaine blushed and smiled, though he was terrified to be dancing in front of a room full of strangers who had just voted Kurt Prom Queen.

Soon other people began dancing around them and Kurt and Blaine were no longer on the spot. As the song picked up, they fell out of hold, though remained close to each other as they danced among the other members of New Directions. The club formed a circle around the boys and they were able to actually enjoy the final dance of the night. Blaine and Kurt had legitimately happy smiles on their faces as balloons dropped on the crowd from overhead. Somehow one of the worst nights of Kurt's life didn't seem so bad anymore.

…

In lieu of going to after prom, Kurt had been planning on having a sleepover with Rachel. He still ended up back at the Berry household, but found himself sitting cross-legged on Blaine's bed instead of Rachel's. Blaine leaned against the headboard, not quite sure what was about to unfold.

Blaine's Dalton uniform was thrown in the hamper and Kurt's kilt was hung neatly on the back of Blaine's door. Both boys had changed into sweatpants and t-shirts and were nervously looking around the room, scared to make eye contact with the other. It was Kurt who broke the silence first.

"I don't even know where to start, but we obviously need to talk," Kurt said slowly, eyes wandering up Blaine's chest to his face.

Blaine bravely locked eyes with Kurt and nodded in agreement. "I know."

With a half smile, Kurt furrowed his eyebrows. "So how do we do this?" Blaine shrugged, not knowing where to start either. He still had feelings for Kurt, but he honestly didn't know how Kurt felt about him and he was too nervous to ask. The night was overwhelming so far, and Blaine was honestly scared that Kurt was sitting on his bed right then. After a few moments of silence, Kurt shifted from where he was sitting and crawled up toward the head of Blaine's bed. Blaine watched as the other boy carefully situated himself next to Blaine so that there was still a few inches of room between them. "Is this okay?" Kurt asked as he looked over at Blaine. The younger boy nodded. Kurt placed his hand in the space between them, palm-side up and looked at Blaine again. Blaine looked from Kurt's face, down to the hand, and then back up at Kurt. Slowly, Blaine rested his palm on top of Kurt's and linked their fingers together. Kurt sighed and his body relaxed, squeezing Blaine's hand in the process.

Both boys closed their eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments while they collected their thoughts.

Just when the silence was becoming deafening, Blaine spoke softly. "I was so scared for you tonight."

Kurt opened his eyes and looked over at Blaine. The younger boy's eyes were shut tight, but Kurt could see a tear threatening to slide down his cheek. Kurt frowned at Blaine's pain for his own situation. "Rachel told me about what happened to you in middle school." Blaine's eyes snapped open and he looked at Kurt in panic. "I made her do it. Please don't be mad. It's just - you never told me. I'm so sorry, Blaine. I didn't know…"

Blaine shook his head. "I don't like to talk about it. I was going to tell you… Kurt, sometimes I just want to tell you everything… but," he stopped abruptly to collect himself. His heart was racing, but he was so scared of saying too much too soon. Kurt could see that Blaine had something more to say, but was holding it in.

"Please don't shut me out, Blaine," Kurt murmured quietly.

With his free hand, Blaine tore at his hair, trying to find the words. "I kissed you, Kurt." He swallowed hard and kept going. "I kissed you and told you how I felt. And I know you were with Landrick at the time, and it was unfair for me to unload on you like that, but…It's just… I don't know where we stand."

Kurt sighed sadly. "That's my fault, Blaine." He thought carefully about how he should word what he felt because he didn't want to keep ruining his relationship with Blaine. "When you kissed me… It felt so right. But, I was with Landrick, so I knew we couldn't… And it wasn't fair for me to push you away like that, but say that nothing had changed. Everything changed and I was just too scared to deal with it. I shouldn't have expected you still be my best friend when I wasn't treating you how you deserved to be treated." Kurt could feel Blaine tense up next to him, but kept going. "I wasn't there for you, and I'm sorry." There were a few moments of silence while Kurt's apology hung in the air. Before Blaine could react, Kurt made a confession. "I know where you go, you know. At Dalton. On my last day, I followed when you ran off after you were late coming out of Warblers practice. To that bathroom? You go there a lot, don't you?" Kurt waited until Blaine looked him in the eye. He watched as tears glassed over Blaine's hazel eyes and the younger boy eventually nodded. "I should have chased you sooner, Blaine."

Tears started falling down Blaine's cheeks before he could bring his free hand up to stop them. Kurt's face crumbled, not knowing if what he said was what Blaine wanted or needed to hear, but he knew he had to clear the air.

"I don't want to run anymore, Kurt," Blaine mumbled.

"Then stop," Kurt whispered as he brought their hands up to his lips and kissed Blaine's knuckles one by one.

The tension in Blaine's shoulders melted away a little bit more with each caress. His heart raced, hopeful that what was happening was actually happening, and not just some dream that he would wake up from. "Kurt." The older boy's name slipped from his lips like a secret.

Kurt turned toward Blaine and his eyes darted quickly down to the lips that just uttered his name. It was Kurt who leaned in first, allowing Blaine just enough time to take in a breath before their mouths met in the middle. Small moans escaped the back of both of their throats as Kurt brought a hand up to Blaine's neck and threaded his fingers through the curls at the base of his hairline as he deepened the kiss.

Blaine pulled away after several moments of passionate kissing, cheeks red and pupils blown with want. Kurt's face was equally flushed, and his was breathless as he spoke. "What's wrong?"

With a small smile and a shake of his head, Blaine chuckled softly. "Nothing's wrong. I just – I'm worried tomorrow I'm going to wake up and find that this was all a dream."

"What if I promise to stay with you tonight? No funny business or anything," Kurt rushed to add as Blaine's eyebrows shot up at the proposal to spend the night together. "But, I missed you so much and I don't want to leave you right now. I just want to hold you for a while. Is that… is that okay?" Blaine was afraid to say anything for fear of breaking down again, so he just nodded through his tears. "I have to go tell your sister that I won't be spending the night in her room, but I'll be right back. I promise."

As much as Kurt didn't want to move, he slid off the bed and made his way toward the door. Before exiting the room, he looked back at Blaine on the bed and smiled. His heart filled with joy as the younger boy beamed back at him.

Kurt walked up to Rachel's door and knocked, even though it was already open. "Come in," she replied and then smiled when she saw her friend duck his head in the doorway before walking over to her bed. "Hey you! Did you guys talk?"

With a smile, Kurt nodded before settling himself on the corner of Rachel's bed. "We did. And there's still some stuff we have to discuss, but your brother and I are going to be okay." Kurt grinned, thinking about the kisses he and Blaine just shared. "Maybe more than okay."

Rachel grinned, happy her friend and brother seemed to work everything out. "That's great, Kurt!"

"Yeah, it is," he agreed. "Um… about our sleepover tonight..." Kurt's cheeks flushed pink. How do you tell one of your best friends that you'll be sleeping with her brother?

Luckily Rachel seemed to get the hint without Kurt actually having to say the words. She smiled at him and nodded her head in understanding. " I kind of figured as much." She gave him an exaggerated wink.

His eyebrows shot up as high as they could go. "We're not going to – I mean, nothing's – we're just sleeping. Honest." Kurt stammered, embarrassed.

Rachel swatted Kurt's arm. "I know, silly. I just like to see you get all defensive." She smiled when he realized he was overreacting. "Take care of each other Kurt. I love you both, you know."

Kurt slid off the bed and gave his friend a smile. "We love you too."

"Do you love my brother?" Rachel wondered aloud as Kurt headed toward the door.

He stopped and smiled to himself before he turned around. He didn't know how to answer her question. Kurt cared about Blaine and liked him an awful lot, but was afraid to use the l-word just yet. He knew he was on his way, though. "Goodnight, Rachel."

After shutting Rachel's door, Kurt tiptoed back to Blaine's room and closed his door behind him. Kurt was surprised that he didn't feel nervous at all. He was so exhausted from the dance and his earlier talk with Blaine that he was just looking forward to a decent night's sleep next to the boy who made his heart full.

Blaine smiled as Kurt buried himself under the blankets and sidled up next to him. Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine on the lips before settling back onto his pillow. "Goodnight Blaine."

"Goodnight, Kurt."

Both boys fell into a peaceful slumber, legs tangling together in the night.


	12. For Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - This is it! Thank you for taking this little journey with me. I know it started off mostly in canon S2, but it kind of veered off toward the end there, didn't it? I hope you enjoyed it... or my apologies if you didn't. Reviews are always welcome :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Rachel Berry thought she deserved a medal for not squealing when she overheard Kurt officially ask her brother out the morning after prom.

Kurt and Blaine were sitting at the kitchen island eating chocolate chip pancakes when Rachel was about to walk in the room to make herself some scrambled tofu. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the sound of kissing, followed by Blaine telling Kurt that he had some chocolate "just there." After more kissing sounds and a few giggles, Rachel was about to barge in on the boys and tell them to get a room when she heard Kurt clear his throat nervously. She tiptoed as close to the doorway as she could without being seen and leaned in to eavesdrop.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Mmm hmm?" Blaine replied through a mouthful of pancakes.

Kurt had to stop himself for a second to just appreciate how easy it felt to just be with Blaine in this moment. They were both still in their pajamas and Kurt knew he looked like a wreck because he could feel his hair sticking up everywhere and he hadn't done his moisturizing routine the night before since he had left his overnight bag in Rachel's room. But Kurt didn't feel self-conscious like he would have around Landrick. He felt comfortable around Blaine and knew that this was where he was supposed to be and whom he was supposed to be with. "Blaine," Kurt said again. "This is going to sound silly, but… will you be my boyfriend?" Blaine's eyes got wide and he had to finish swallowing his food before he choked. Kurt got nervous that he didn't answer right away and started rambling. "It's just that, we didn't really talk about it last night, and I thought I would ask. I mean, we don't have to label this, we could just see where it leads, but I really don't want to lose you again and –"

No one ever heard the end of Kurt's sentence because Blaine's lips cut him off in a non-verbal response that screamed yes.

Rachel did a silent dance just outside the doorway, thrilled that her best friend and brother were finally together. She couldn't imagine two people who were better suited for each other and it was killing her that they were taking so long to be in a relationship.

Not able to stay out of the kitchen any longer due to being hungry and overly excited about her brother and Kurt, Rachel walked through the doorway and managed to pretend she hadn't overheard what just transpired. She tried to hide a smile as she caught Blaine and Kurt pulling out of their latest embrace. "Morning boys," she mused as she skipped over to the fridge.

"Morning Rachel," they replied, never taking their eyes off of each other.

…

Kurt was over at the Berry household a lot more after prom weekend. He would still visit with Rachel (and they had their occasional sleepover), but since he saw her everyday at school, most of his time was spent with Blaine. Though make-out sessions were a frequent occurrence, Kurt and Blaine had to buckle down and study for the statewide tests that was quickly approaching.

Flashcards, study guides and schoolbooks were a constant presence on Blaine's floor and bed. The boys would quiz each other for an hour or so, and then take a few minutes to themselves. Though they frequently would spend their down time wrapped in each other's arms and learning each other's bodies (they decided they would stick to over the clothes and above the waist for the time being, though they left the topic wide open for discussion as they saw fit), sometimes Blaine would put on his headphones and work on music stuff while Kurt would pull out a sketchbook and draw out some new designs. Kurt and Blaine liked being in the same room together, but they didn't have to be interacting with each other all the time. Though they had the added benefits of a physical relationship, Kurt and Blaine's friendship was also stronger than ever.

The tests came and went by in the middle of May. Since all juniors had to take said tests, they were granted a half day off on Friday of the test week, regardless what school they attended. However, even though Blaine took the tests, he had to go to school the whole day on Friday since he was still considered a sophomore.

Kurt drove to Dalton to surprise his boyfriend and take him out to dinner to celebrate their tests being done. While Kurt waited in the parking lot near Blaine's car, he saw Landrick approaching. Trying to be polite, Kurt flashed him as sincere of a smile as he could. Blaine and Kurt had made their relationship Facebook official, so he assumed Landrick must be aware of the situation.

"Hi Landrick," Kurt said civilly.

"Why hello, Kurt Hummel," Landrick replied. "Fancy seeing you around these parts. How's that public school treating you?"

"Fine, thank you."

There was some awkward silence during which Blaine walked over. He wanted to throw his arms around Kurt since he was shocked to see him (because as far as he knew, they didn't have plans until the next day because of Kurt's usual Friday Night family dinner), but didn't know how to act around Kurt's ex-boyfriend. "Hey Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed when he got close enough to his car.

Kurt smiled and immediately reached his hand out for Blaine to take. "Hey you." Blaine took a quick look at Kurt's hand, then over at Landrick, then back at Kurt's hand before he finally slid his fingers through Kurt's.

Landrick scrunched up his nose at the sight of Kurt and Blaine holding hands, but opted not to comment. He forced his eyes up to Kurt's face and plastered a smile across his own. "Well, it was nice to see you, Kurt." He glared at Blaine. "Berry." Blaine and Kurt watched as Landrick stormed off toward his own car.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all!" Kurt said cheerily as he leaned in and kissed Blaine on the cheek. "Come on. I'm taking you out to celebrate us being done with those stupid tests."

…

Even though the tests were over, Blaine and Kurt were forced to spend less and less time together as the New Directions trip to Nationals in New York City approached. The New Directions didn't have a set list and instead spent a majority of their time after school doing booty camp and trying to write more original songs. Because they had done so well at Regionals, the whole of the group decided that if they wrote original songs for Nationals, they would have an advantage over the other groups because they would be doing something unique.

The New Directions would leave for New York on Friday, perform Saturday (for sure in the morning, and then again in the afternoon if they made it through the first round of the competition), and then fly back to Ohio on Sunday. Kurt promised Blaine that he would text him as often as he could, but three would likely be little free time in New York as well.

At their insistence, Blaine went with his dads to drop Rachel off at the airport on Friday. The Berrys ran into the Hudmel's near security and everyone watched as Kurt and Blaine tried to have a private moment among a crowded airport. The two boys hugged each other in a tight embrace, but didn't dare kiss. Though they knew their parents were okay with their relationship and didn't mind if the two of them showed affection, Blaine and Kurt were always mindful of their surroundings when in public. It was almost unbearable not being able to kiss or even hold hands when they were out on a date or in a public setting, but they dealt with it they best the could.

When it came time for Kurt to join Finn and Rachel in the security line, Blaine reluctantly let go of his boyfriend and joined his dads, Burt and Carole as they waved the others off.

Once back at the car, Blaine buckled himself into the backseat and looked forlornly out the window, waiting for his dad to start the car.

In the front seat, Hiram turned to Leroy and lifted an eyebrow. Leroy smiled and turned around in his seat.

"So, Blaine… since your sister is gone for the weekend, how would you like to go on a little trip?" Leroy asked, hands still on the steering wheel.

Blaine was confused because he hadn't heard his dads mention anything about going somewhere this weekend. "Um, okay… where are we going?"

"Somewhere where people ride in a hole in the ground," Hiram mused as he looked at his son while waggling his eyebrows.

"What – you can't be serious? We're going to New York?!" Blaine practically screamed as his dads laughed at his excitement.

"You got it, kiddo," Leroy smirked. "Why'd you think I parked in long term parking?" Blaine scrunched up his nose, not even realizing where they had parked earlier since he was too busy thinking about how much he was going to miss Kurt that weekend. "Your sister doesn't know, though, so please refrain from texting your paramour for now, or you'll ruin the surprise."

"But –" Blaine started to protest.

"Your dad and I will get you and Kurt Wicked tickets for Saturday night if you can keep your mouth shut," Hiram said casually, knowing that would push Blaine over the edge of excitement if he wasn't already there.

Blaine tried to launch himself forward over the console to hug his dads, but was stopped abruptly by his seatbelt. After fumbling to release the latch, Blaine threw off his restraint and climbed toward the front of the car. He kissed both his dads on the cheeks while they laughed at their son.

Hiram and Leroy had packed the car the night before and printed out their tickets, so they and Blaine grabbed their carry-ons from the trunk and walked back toward security. They were flying a different airline than the New Directions, so their flight wasn't leaving until a little later.

While Blaine and his dads sat at their terminal, Blaine's knees bounced with anticipation. He had never been to New York City before and was excited to get to see the New Directions perform, in addition to getting to see Wicked with Kurt. Hiram and Leroy both put a hand on their son's back and rubbed small circles while they flipped through the newspapers they were reading on their iPads. Blaine was comforted by the touch and smiled at each of his fathers. "For the record, you guys are the best dads ever. Thank you for this."

"We love you, Blaine," Leroy said as Blaine smiled.

"We love your sister too, of course," Hiram added. "But you're definitely a pretty great kid."

…

By time the New Directions landed in New York and checked into their hotel, it was late in the evening. The kids were told to stay in their rooms and work on songs for the next morning's performance. All of their cell phones were confiscated so they would concentrate. When their songs were finally written and they got their phones back, it was almost 2:00am on Saturday. Before he went to sleep, Kurt sent Blaine a quick "Mr. Schue took our phones earlier – finally got it back. I miss you so much. See you on Sunday!" text. Little did he know, Blaine was fast asleep in his own hotel a couple blocks away.

…

Blaine was practically shaking in his seat in the auditorium where Nationals was being held. He wrung his program into a tube several times over before Hiram wrestled it out of his hands. They had sat through several show choirs already and the New Directions were scheduled to perform after the brief intermission they were sitting through at the moment.

The lights finally dimmed and Blaine settled back into his seat, heart racing. He realized he hadn't seen Kurt perform on stage the whole year because he was in the Warblers for the past two competitions. Blaine grinned to himself, excited to see his boyfriend sing and dance.

The New Directions first song was a duet sung by Rachel and Finn. Blaine thought they were still broken up, but then gasped along with his dads when the two of them started making out on stage after their song. The rest of the crowd was dead silent until Blaine saw Mr. Schue start clapping. Blaine joined in the clapping and watched as his dads shared a significant look. He grimaced and instantly felt bad for his sister; she was obviously going to get a talking to later.

Blaine almost forgot about his sister's public display of affection when the rest of the New Directions came out on the stage. Though they all were facing backstage, Blaine immediately spotted Kurt and blushed when he realized he was staring at his boyfriend's ass. They still hadn't gone very far in their physical relationship, but Blaine was well aware of how gorgeous his boyfriend was and how perfect he looked in his black pants.

Since the New Directions were doing original songs again, Blaine wasn't familiar with the music. He still bounced around in his seat, giddy from watching Kurt up on stage. He couldn't wait until after the performance and he could actually talk to Kurt. It was hard not texting him throughout the day any time his phone buzzed, but he was afraid he would ruin the surprise and his dads wouldn't get them the theater tickets he was promised.

As soon as the New Directions stopped singing, Blaine bolted out of his seat and clapped ecstatically along with his dads and the rest of the crowd. While the audience didn't seem to appreciate the kiss after the first song, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the up-tempo second song.

The Berrys left their seats after the New Directions were finished on stage so they could meet up with the show choir in the lobby. Blaine heard his sister before he saw anyone from McKinley.

"You guys, we were amazing and if we don't make it to the next round than the judges are out of their freakin' – Blaine? DADS?!" Blaine looked up and saw his sister running toward him and their dads with a huge smile on her face. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to see you shine, honey!" Leroy responded as he wrapped his little girl in a loving hug.

"Yeah, that was quite a show, baby girl," Hiram mused. "I didn't know you and the Hudson boy were back together."

Blaine didn't even hear his sister's response because he found himself face to face with his boyfriend. "Kurt!" The boys threw their arms around each other, smiling wider than any showface seen on stage that day.

"Blaine! How are you here?" Kurt asked, still in shock from seeing his boyfriend.

"My dads told me yesterday after we dropped Rachel off. They made me promise not to tell you because they wanted to surprise Rachel. I'm so glad to see you! And now weget to go see Wicked!" Blaine gushed as he continued to hug Kurt.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up at Blaine's last comment. "What's this about Wicked?"

Blaine smiled as he pulled back a bit so he could look Kurt in the eye, "My dads bribed me with a pair of theater tickets for us for tonight. You'll go with me, right?"

Kurt squeezed Blaine again, not wanting to ever let go. "I'd go with you anywhere, Blaine."

…

The New Directions didn't make it to the next round of competition. They came in 12th place and only the Top 10 advanced to the finals. While everyone was busy blaming Rachel and Finn for their inappropriate lip lock on stage in between their songs, Kurt managed to get permission from Mr. Schue to slip out of the room and meet up with Blaine and the Berrys outside the hotel.

"Hello Kurt," Leroy said as he reached his hand out to shake Kurt's.

"Hello Mr. Berry," Kurt replied, shaking Leroy's hand, and then Hiram's. "Mr. Berry." Kurt's eyes locked on Blaine's and he broke out into a huge grin. "Mr. Berry." Blaine blushed.

"So, son, here are your tickets, as promised," Hiram said as he presented Blaine with an envelope. "Your dad and I will meet you outside the theater when your show is over, okay? It's not that we don't trust you, but it'll be late and I promised Mr. Schuester we would have Kurt back to the hotel before their curfew."

Blaine took the envelope from his dad, "Thank you, Dad." He looked at Kurt and smiled. "We'll meet you underneath the marquee after the show." He held out a hand, which Kurt promptly took. "We promise."

Leroy smiled at how happy his son and boyfriend were in that moment and was reminded of his and Hiram's first few months of dating. "Excellent." He held his own hand out for Hiram to take. "Come on, Hi. Let's go have some fun."

Hiram slid his hand into Leroy's and gave it a squeeze. " Capital idea, Leroy." He winked at Blaine before he and his husband left their son and his boyfriend to themselves in front of the hotel.

"Your dads are adorable," Kurt commented, squeezing Blaine's hand.

Blaine smiled as he watched his dads walk away, looking so in love even after 20 years of marriage. "Yeah. They are." Blaine looked down at his watch to check the time. "We have about an hour before the show. Do you want to go get something to eat?" Kurt nodded and the two started walking toward the Gershwin Theatre.

Deciding they weren't super hungry, Blaine suggested they split a soft pretzel from a cart near the red stairs. After purchasing a pretzel and two bottles of water, Blaine and Kurt found themselves seated near the top of the steps overlooking Times Square.

"I'm so happy you're here," Kurt said as he broke off a piece of the pretzel. "It didn't feel right being here without you. I kept turning around to tell you something or point something out, but I had to remind myself that you were back in Ohio." Kurt chuckled to himself. "Though, I guess you were here, huh?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you!" Blaine said as he bumped Kurt's shoulder with his own. "But at least were here together now." Blaine popped a piece of pretzel in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "This is amazing – being in New York on a date with you and we're going to see Wicked. I feel like I should pinch myself or something." Kurt reached over and pinched Blaine on the leg. "Ouch!" Both boys giggled as they were perfectly content to be living in the moment. "I love this," Blaine said, his voice full of awe and reverence.

"I love you," Kurt confessed quietly, turning to look Blaine in the eye.

Blaine's heart stopped for a fraction of a second, scared he misheard Kurt. But, when hazel eyes locked on blue and he saw epic amounts of sincerity there, Blaine knew he heard correctly.

Kurt saw the stunned look in Blaine's eye and gave him a small smile. "I love you, Blaine. And I don't want you to feel like you have to say it back. But I needed to tell you because I couldn't go another moment without you knowing how I feel."

"Kurt," Blaine exhaled, his voice low and thick with emotion. He leaned over and captured Kurt's lips in a gentle kiss and then smiled to himself when they tasted like salt. Blaine gave Kurt another quick peck before pulling back to look him in the eye. "I love you too. And I'm not just saying it to say it. I love you Kurt and I'm thankful to be with you every single day."

Both boys smiled and leaned into each other's shoulders. They finished their pretzel and people watched for a little bit until it was time to head over to the theater. They were excited to find that the Berrys got them orchestra seats and they gripped each other's hand as soon as the lights dimmed.

Kurt and Blaine knew the Wicked soundtrack backwards and forwards but had never seen the show before. Their hands stayed intertwined throughout the entire show, though at times one of them would bring their hands up to his lips to kiss the other boy's knuckles or palm.

After "As Long As Your Mine," Kurt leaned over and whispered "Thank you for this. For everything." Blaine smiled and nestled his head onto Kurt's shoulder. He was so overwhelmed with feelings, but in the best way possible.

Later, during "For Good," Blaine heard Kurt sniffle partway into the song. He felt his own tears coming on as he really listened to the lyrics. Though the song was about friendship, the words really resonated with how Blaine felt about Kurt. It was his turn to lean over and whisper to his boyfriend, "because I knew you, I have been changed for good." Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and Blaine squeezed back.

Both boys' eyes were wet with tears when the curtain closed for the final time and the houselights came up. Hands still clasped, the boys grabbed their Playbills and side-stepped their way past the chairs in their row to the aisle. When they got to the lobby, Kurt stopped. "Wait," he said, causing Blaine's feet to plant. "I just need a minute with you before we go meet up with your dads." Kurt's eyes were still glassy as he searched Blaine's face as if trying to memorize it. "Tonight has been one of the best night's of my life, Blaine, and it's because I'm with you. I know it took us awhile to get here, but…" Words escaped him, but it was okay because Blaine knew what he was getting at as he felt the same way.

"I know what you mean, Kurt. I'm going to remember this night for the rest of my life and there is no one I would rather be with right now than you. I love you so much, Kurt."

"I love you too."


End file.
